Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group attacked the UAE using drones, setting off explosions in three fuel trucks and causing a fire near the airport of Abu Dhabi.
Yesterday’s strike takes the war between the Houthi militia and an Arab-led coalition to a new level, and may hinder efforts to contain regional tensions as Washington and Tehran work to rescue a nuclear deal.
“The criminal Houthi attack on some civilian facilities in Abu Dhabi ... and the Houthi militia’s targeting of regional security will not affect the path of security and peace in which we live,” senior UAE official Anwar Gargash said in a tweet.
The Houthi movement has frequently launched cross-border missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia, but has claimed few such attacks on the UAE.
Three people were killed and six wounded when three fuel tanker trucks exploded in the industrial Musaffah area near storage facilities of oil firm ADNOC, state news agency Wam said.
Police closed the road leading to the area, where unverified footage on social media had shown thick black smoke.
“Initial investigations found parts of a small plane that could possibly be a drone at both sites that could have caused the explosion and the fire,” Abu Dhabi police said.
An Etihad Airways spokesperson said a small number of flights were briefly disrupted at Abu Dhabi airport due to “precautionary measures”, but normal operations quickly resumed.
The Houthi’s military spokesman said the group launched a military operation “deep in the UAE”.
Saudi Arabia condemned what it described as a “cowardly, terrorist” attack.
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