The ballistic missile launcher in Yemen’s Al Jawf governorate was destroyed shortly after it launched the two missiles against Abu Dhabi, reports Asian Lite Newsdesk
The Defence Ministry of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced on Monday that its air defence systems intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles fired by Yemen’s Houthi militia.
The attack, which came one week after a deadly Houthi attack on the UAE’s capital Abu Dhabi on Jan. 17, caused no casualties, as the ballistic missile fragments fell in several locations around Abu Dhabi, the official Emirates News Agency reported, citing a statement of the ministry.
The ballistic missile launcher in Yemen’s Al Jawf governorate was destroyed shortly after it launched the two missiles against Abu Dhabi, UAE’s Defence Ministry announced in a post on its Twitter account.
Video footage posted on UAE Defence Ministry’s Twitter account showed a huge fire erupting at an infrastructure, which was described by the ministry as a ballistic missile launcher in Yemen, after it was hit by a missile. The missile was reported to have been launched by an F-16 fighter jet.
The ministry also said in a statement that it is ready to deal with any threats and will “take all necessary measures to protect the state from all attacks.”
Yemen’s Houthi militia on Monday claimed responsibility for using ballistic missiles and explosive-laden drones to strike a number of facilities deep within the UAE and Saudi Arabia, both of which have joined a military coalition fighting the Houthis in Yemen.
The strike had targeted the Al Dhafra Air Base and other sensitive sites in Abu Dhabi, as well as important sites in Dubai, Houthi military spokesman Yehya Sarea said in a statement.
The militia also used “a large number of drones” to attack multiple military bases in Saudi Arabia’s Sharurah and other areas, and fired ballistic missiles against the Jazan and Asir regions, according to Sarea.
The strike against Saudi Arabia, according to the Saudi-led coalition, resulted in material losses but no casualties.
Turkey and Lebanon condemned the Yemeni militia’s missile attacks shortly after they occurred on Monday.
The Houthis have frequently launched cross-border missile and drone strikes on Saudi Arabia, and on Jan. 17, they staged an unexpected attack on the UAE, in which three petroleum tankers caught fire near Abu Dhabi National Oil Company storage facilities. The attack resulted in the deaths of three people and the injuries of six more.
In the week following Jan. 17, a Saudi-led coalition conducted a series of airstrikes across Yemen, hitting various Houthi-controlled targets and killing dozens of people.
Meanwhile, the UAE has strongly condemned the Houthi militia’s attempt to target civil areas and facilities in the UAE with two ballistic missiles, affirming that this violent act cannot go without a thorough and comprehensive response.
In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFAIC) said that the UAE reserves the right to respond against these terrorist attacks and such blatant criminal escalation, describing these attacks as “a heinous crime committed by the terrorist Houthi militia in breach of international and humanitarian laws”.
The ministry stated that this terrorist militia is continuing its criminal activities without being held accountable, by causing terror and chaos in the region to achieve its unlawful aims and objectives. It has called on the international community to condemn and denounce these terrorist acts, which target civilians and civil facilities.
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The UAE also expressed its strong condemnation and denunciation of the terrorist Houthi militia’s attack on Jazan in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with a ballistic missile, which left two civilians injured.
The ministry considered this to be a dangerous escalation and cowardly act that threatens the security, safety, and lives of civilians and called for taking all necessary measures to protect civilians from Houthi threats.
MoFAIC reaffirmed its solidarity with the Kingdom over these terrorist attacks and reiterated its stance against all threats to the Kingdom’s security, stability, and the safety of its citizens and residents.
“The security of the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is indivisible, and any threat facing the Kingdom is considered a threat to the UAE’s security and stability,” the Ministry noted. (Murad Abdo in Aden, Yemen contributed to the report) (with inputs from ANI/Xinhua)