Three people have been killed and six are injured in suspected drone attacks in Abu Dhabi, according to reports.
Three fuel trucks exploded and a fire broke out near Abu Dhabi airport on Monday in what Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group said was an attack deep inside the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Quoting police, a UAE state-run news agency reported that three people were killed in the tanker truck explosions – two Indian nationals and one Pakistani national.
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Yemen’s Houthi rebels have claimed the attack on the UAE. File pic
UAE police earlier said that drones may have caused an explosion on three oil tankers and a minor fire at an airport extension in Abu Dhabi.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels later claimed responsibility for the attack.
Abu Dhabi police said three fuel tankers had exploded in the industrial Musaffah area near storage facilities of oil firm ADNO.
More on United Arab Emirates
They said a fire had also broken out at a construction site at Abu Dhabi International Airport – but added it was “minor” and took place at an extension of the main airport which is still under construction.
Initial investigations indicated the detection of small flying objects, possibly belonging to drones, that fell in two areas and possibly caused the explosion and fire, officers said, adding there was no significant damage from the incidents.
UAE part of Saudi-led coalition
Houthi military spokesman Yahia Sarei said the group launched an attack deep in the UAE, saying in a tweet that there will be an announcement about details of the attack against the UAE “in the coming hours”.
The UAE has been at war in Yemen since early 2015 and was significant in the Saudi-led coalition that launched attacks against the Houthi rebels after the group overran the capital of Yemen and ousted the internationally-backed government.
Not first time Houthis have targeted UAE
The Iranian-backed Yemini Houthi militant group has claimed responsibility for a series of small drone attacks that have started two fires around the UAE capital Abu Dhabi.
Police in the Emirate told a state news agency that three fuel trucks exploded in an industrial area, and another fire broke out on a construction site at the international airport.
“Initial investigations found parts of a small plane that could possibly be a drone at both sites that could have caused the explosion and the fire,” the police said in a statement on state news agency WAM.
The Houthis said they had launched the attack “deep into the UAE” and would reveal more details “in the coming hours”.
It would not be the first time the group has targeted the UAE with drones, but the attacks often go unclaimed or they’re downplayed by the Emiratis.
The UAE has been involved in the Yemen conflict for a number of years, on the side of pro-government forces, although it downscaled its presence in the country back in 2019.
The Houthis have claimed attacks on Abu Dhabi’s airport in the past, along with the emirates’ Barakah nuclear power plant – which Emirati officials have previously denied.
Booby-trapped boats
They have also used bomb-laden drones for crude and imprecise attacks aimed at Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and have launched missiles at Saudi airports, oil facilities and pipelines, as well as used booby-trapped boats for attacks in key shipping routes.
Abu Dhabi is the UAE’s seat of government and steers the country’s foreign policy.
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South Korean President Moon Jae-in on his visit in the UAE
Monday’s attacks come as South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in visits the UAE.
The two countries are said to have reached a preliminary deal valued at around $3.5bn (£2.5bn) over the selling of mid-range South Korean surface-to-air missiles to the UAE.
The deal was reportedly made during the president’s meeting with Emirati prime minister and Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum on Sunday.
