UAE officials have informed that two Indians were among the three dead in a possible drone attack that detonated three oil tankers in Abu Dhabi and caused another fire in an extension to Abu Dhabi International Airport on Monday, in which Three people were killed and six injured, police said.
Abu Dhabi Police has identified the dead as two Indian citizens And a Pakistani. It did not identify the injured, who police said had minor or moderate wounds.
Police said that investigation is going on.
While Abu Dhabi police did not immediately offer any suspects for a possible attack, Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for the attack targeting the United Arab Emirates without elaboration. The Iranian-backed Houthis have claimed several attacks that Emirati officials later denied.
The incident comes as Yemen’s years-long war continues and an Emirati-flagged ship has recently been captured by the Houthis. That’s because Abu Dhabi has largely withdrawn its national forces from the conflict torn apart the poorest nation in the Arab world, while still supporting local militias there.
Abu Dhabi Police said preliminary investigation indicated that small flying objects, possibly related to drones, fell in two areas and may have caused the explosion and fire. There was no significant damage due to the incidents without giving more details, he said.
The incident comes as Yemen’s years-long war continues and an Emirati-flagged ship has recently been captured by the Houthis. That’s because Abu Dhabi has largely withdrawn its national forces from the conflict torn apart the poorest nation in the Arab world, while still supporting local militias there.
The United Arab Emirates has been at war in Yemen since early 2015, and was a key member of a Saudi-led coalition that fought against the Iranian-backed Houthis after capturing the Yemeni capital and ousting the internationally-backed government from power. launched attacks.
Although the United Arab Emirates has reduced the number of its troops on the ground, it is actively engaged in warfare and supports major militias fighting the Houthis. It cooperates closely with the United States in anti-terrorist operations in Yemen.
The Houthis have come under pressure in recent weeks and suffering heavy losses as Yemeni forces, allied and backed by the United Arab Emirates, have pushed back the rebel group in the country’s key southern and central provinces.
Yemen’s government-aligned forces, aided by United Arab Emirates-backed Giants Brigades and aided by Saudi air strikes, recaptured the entire southern province of Shabwa from the Houthis earlier this month and advanced into nearby Marib province.
The incident happened during the visit of South Korean President Moon Jae-in to the United Arab Emirates. During the presidential meeting with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister of the Emirates and Ruler of Dubai, on Sunday, the two countries agreed to sell mid-range South Korean surface-to-air missiles to the United Arab Emirates for about 3.5 percent. Billion dollar initial deal.
The Houthis have claimed past attacks on Abu Dhabi’s airport as well as the emirate’s Barakah nuclear power plant – claims that the emirate’s authorities have denied in the past.
The Houthis have used bomb-laden drones to launch crude and unmistakable attacks aimed at Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates during the war. The group has also launched missiles at Saudi airports, oil facilities and pipelines, as well as boats used for attacks in major shipping routes.
Although some of these attacks have killed civilians in Saudi Arabia, a large number of civilians have been killed in Yemen. The war has killed 130,000 people in Yemen – both civilians and fighters – and has exacerbated hunger and famine in the poor country.