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Middle East
An Etihad Airways plane flies over the main control tower at the Yas Marina circuit ahead of the start of the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix on November 27, 2016. File photo: AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Suspected drone strikes targeted the capital city of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Monday, with Iran-backed Houthi rebels claiming they will have a statement on a military operation inside the country.
Fire broke out on three petroleum tanks transporting petroleum near a storage of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), while another blaze erupted in the new construction area of Abu Dhabi International Airport, Emirati state media (WAM) reported the city’s police as saying.
“Preliminary investigations indicate the detection of small flying objects, possibly belonging to drones, that fell in the two areas and may have caused the explosion and fire,” the police said.
A Pakistani and two Indian nationals have died as a result of the incident and six others are injured, WAM reported.
The spokesperson to the Iran-backed Houthi rebels’ military in Yemen, who see the UAE as a regional foe, soon took to Twitter.
“An important statement for the armed forces to announce a one of a kind military operation in the UAE in the coming hours,” Yehia Sari’ said.
The attack comes after the Yemeni government last week confirmed that the Shabwah province located in the country’s south was fully liberated from the Houthi rebels with the support of the Saudi-led Arab forces.
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani condemned the attack, saying the it is “a flagrant violation of international law and a serious escalation that threatens security and stability in the region.”
The UAE is part of the Saudi-led alliance that launched an air and military campaign against Houthi rebels in 2015 following the start of the civil war between the Saudi-backed Yemen government and the Houthis.
The attack also comes exactly two weeks the Houthis said they had seized a UAE-flagged vessel in the Red Sea, and claimed it carried “military supplies”, according to a Reuters report.
The Houthis later went on to reject a United Nations request to release the vessel on Sunday, despite the UAE claiming it was a civilian cargo vessel.
Iran’s support for Houthi rebels in the Yemeni civil war since late 2014 has caused concerns for both Saudi and Emirati establishments.
Tens of thousands have been killed, and over 80 percent of Yemen’s population is dependent on aid according to the UN.
Updated at 9:29 pm
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