The drone attack caused three fuel tanks to explode and a fire to break out at Abu Dhabi's international airport

Houthi attack leaves several dead and wounded in Abu Dhabi's industrial zone

photo_camera PHOTO/Planet Labs PBC via Ap - A suspected drone strike by Yemen's Houthi rebels targeting a key oil facility in Abu Dhabi killed three people and sparked another fire at Abu Dhabi International Airport on Monday, 17 January 2022.

The Iranian-backed Houthi insurgent group, one of the main actors involved in the war in Yemen, has claimed responsibility for the drone attack on the Mussafah area, the industrial area of Abu Dhabi near the National Oil Company (ADNOC) depots. The attack resulted in the explosion of three fuel tanks and a fire at a construction site at the UAE's international airport. The industrial zone is also close to the Al-Dhafra air base, which hosts US and French troops. The incident killed at least three people, one Pakistani and two Indian nationals. In addition, six people were injured, WAM reported.

"The relevant authorities have launched an extensive investigation into the cause of the fire and the circumstances surrounding it," the Emirati news agency said. At the moment, preliminary investigations point to "small flying objects, possibly drones" as the cause of the explosions and the fire.

Mapa satelital que ubica a Abu Dhabi, en los Emiratos Árabes Unidos, y su aeropuerto AFP/AFP

Houthi militia military spokesman Yahya Saree announced that the group had launched an attack "deep inside the United Arab Emirates". "A major communiqué will be issued soon announcing a precise military operation in the UAE," Saree said.

This is not the first time the Houthis have attacked Emirati interests. Earlier this month, an Emirati ship was hijacked by the rebels off the coast of Hodeida. Although the Houthis released images showing that the ship was carrying military equipment, the Riyadh-led international coalition claimed that the ship was carrying "a Saudi field hospital" from Yemen's Socotra Island in the Indian Ocean to Jazan in the south of the Kingdom. 

Such an attack on the UAE is not common, as Shi'a rebels tend to focus on its northern neighbour, Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom has been the target of cross-border missile and drone attacks. However, the Houthis announced attacks against Abu Dhabi in 2017 and 2018, although Emirati authorities denied the reports. Moreover, as Torbjorn Soltvedt, an analyst at risk intelligence firm Verisk Maplecrof, points out, the attack on Abu Dhabi's industrial heartland "comes just days after Iranian-backed groups threatened to attack the UAE in response to alleged Emirati interference in Iraqi politics". Soltvedt, reported in the Guardian, also argues that unless the Gulf states find a solution to defuse regional tensions, "they will remain vulnerable to attack".

Una captura de imagen tomada de un vídeo facilitado por la Oficina de Medios de Comunicación de al-Huthi muestra al portavoz militar huthi, el general de brigada Yahya Saree, hablando en una conferencia de prensa PHOTO/ Oficina de Medios del Grupo Al-Huthi / AFP

The United Arab Emirates, although it decreased its military presence in Yemen in 2019, continues to be part of the Saudi-led international coalition. Recently, the alliance backing the government of Abd Rabbuh Mansur al-Hadi and its Yemeni allies have seized the oil-rich Shabwa region from the Houthis. The Houthis threatened the UAE following this advance. The insurgents' spokesman said on Twitter that they were "fully prepared" to face escalation "from the Emirati enemy". Last week, General Turki Al-Maliki, spokesman for the military coalition, announced a new operation in the country against the rebels "on all fronts".

At the same time, the Emirati-backed Giant's Brigades are moving into Marib, the current focus of Yemen's war. These elite troops, known as al-Amaliqah in Arabic, are part of the Joint Forces or National Resistance Forces (NRF), Yemeni paramilitary groups that receive Emirati support.

 Seguidores del movimiento Houthi portan un dron simulado durante un mitin celebrado para conmemorar la Ashura en Saada, Yemen 10 de septiembre de 2019 PHOTO/REUTERS

In addition to the Giants Brigades, which played a key role in the conquest of Shabwa, the NRF includes the Guardians of the Republic and the Tihama Resistance. According to ACLED (The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project), the Al Amaliqah Giants Brigade is the largest component of the NRF, comprising between 20,000 and 28,000 fighters. Among its most prominent members are Abdulrahman (Abu) Zarah Mahrami and Hamdi Shukri al Subaihi. "Its fighters are predominantly southern Yemenis, mostly Salafists, including some who were expelled from Dammaj in Sa'adah by the Houthis in January 2014, and tribesmen from the Jaffa region," explains the non-governmental organisation, which analyses, describes and explores conflicts and their actors.

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