RIYADH: The United Arab Emirates said on Monday it intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by Yemen’s Houthi militia amid the Israeli president’s first visit.
The UAE’s Defense Ministry said in a statement carried by WAM news agency that no damage was caused by the attack as ballistic missile shrapnel fell outside populated areas.
The United Arab Emirates Air Force, along with the Coalition to Restore Alliance in Yemen, later destroyed a missile launch site in Yemen’s al-Jawf regime, the statement said.
The UAE Ministry of Defense reaffirmed its “full readiness to deal with any threat”, and said it would “take all necessary measures to protect the UAE from any attack.”
The Houthi attack came hours after Israeli President Isaac Herzog called for stronger regional ties in Abu Dhabi.
The United Arab Emirates, along with Bahrain, signed US-broker normalization agreements with Israel, dubbed the “Abraham Agreement”, in 2020. The two Gulf states and Israel share concerns about Iran and its allied forces in the region.
Herzog discussed security and bilateral relations with the de facto ruler of the United Arab Emirates, Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in Abu Dhabi.
His office said Herzog spent the night in Abu Dhabi, and that he would continue his visit to the United Arab Emirates despite the Houthi attack.
The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority assured the public that the latest Houthi atrocities did not affect air traffic in the country.
The authority said, “Air traffic in the country is running as usual and all flights are operating normally. There has been no impact on flights and airports as a result of a ballistic missile launched by terrorist Houthi militia. ,