The UAE Foreign Ministry denounces the belligerent attitude of the Shiite group operating in the Yemeni war and supported by Iran

UAE condemns Houthi plan to attack Saudi Arabia with several drones and explosives

photo_camera PHOTO/REUTERS - Missiles and drones are displayed in an exhibition at an unidentified location in Yemen in this undated photo published by the Hutu Media Office

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) condemned the latest attempt by Houhiu rebels to attack civilian areas in Saudi Arabia by using various drones with explosives, which were intercepted by the Saudi Army-led Arabian coalition forces fighting the militia backed by the Islamic Republic of Iran in the framework of the Yemeni war.  

The drones targeted civilians and residential properties, said the visible head of the coalition, Colonel Turki al-Maliki. This Arab alliance led by the Kingdom, in which the Emirates participates, is fighting on the ground against the Houthi insurgents, who are seeking to undermine the internationally recognised Yemeni government of President Abd Rabbuh Mansour al-Hadi, and who are supported by Iran, the great sponsor of the Shia branch of Islam opposed to the Sunni branch, whose main banner in the Middle East region is the Saudi kingdom.  

The coalition is taking steps to ensure that people remain safe from Houthi attacks during the escalation of offensives designed by the rebels. The Arab alliance also reported it had intercepted and destroyed three ballistic missiles aimed at the Saudi cities of Jazan, Najran and Khamis Mushait. Furthermore, it neutralised an offensive aimed at civilians in the kingdom by destroying two "targets in the air" launched by the Houthis backed by the ayatollahs' regime, according to Al-Ekhbariya. Al-Maliki himself stressed that the hostile behaviour of the Houthi militia is contrary to international law.

The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation described the attacks as a dangerous escalation, adding that it stands in solidarity with the Kingdom and supports any measures it takes to ensure the safety of its citizens and residents. Furthermore, the ministry stressed that the security of the Emirates and Saudi Arabia are indivisible, and any threat or danger to the Kingdom is considered a threat to its own security and stability.  

El portavoz de la coalición militar dirigida por los saudíes, el coronel Turki al-Maliki

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) also condemned the attacks as a flagrant violation of international law that threatens the security of the states. The GCC supports Saudi Arabia's measures to protect its security and called on the international community to address the attempts by the Houthis to destabilise security in the region, as stated by Secretary General Nayef Falah M. al-Hajraf. Over a year ago the GCC denounced Iran's belligerent attitude and accused the Persian state of "threatening world security" owing to its belligerent stance and interference in the affairs of other states through like-minded Shiite groups. Several analysts have gone into greater detail about how Iran intervenes in the internal affairs of other nations through these linked Shiite formations and their Quds forces, the international division of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard (the elite corps of the Iranian army).

The Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia intensified as a result of the sanctions imposed by the United States (a Saudi ally) in 2018 following America's withdrawal from the nuclear agreement signed with Iran in 2015 limiting the Persian atomic programme, particularly in the field of weapons. Donald Trump's US government denounced Iran's violations of the nuclear pact and imposed punitive political and economic measures on the country, particularly those related to the oil trade, Iran's main source of financing.  

As a result, Iran's president, Hassan Rohani, threatened to continue trading crude oil, to blockade the Straits of Ormuz (the main transit area for world oil trade) and to breach key points of the nuclear agreement, such as those relating to uranium enrichment and the treatment of heavy water.  

This scenario was followed by incidents involving cargo ships from various countries in the Gulf and attacks on Saudi oil and airport infrastructures, for which Iran and related Shiite groups such as the Houthi rebels were blamed.  

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