ABU DHABI (Parliament Politics Magazine) – The explosion of a fuel tanker near oil storage facilities and fire at a construction site near the airport, according to Abu Dhabi police, were caused by ‘small flying objects.’
According to Emirati authorities, three oil tankers exploded in Abu Dhabi in what is suspected to be a drone strike, killing at least three people and injuring six more, amid Yemen’s Houthi rebels declaring an operation “deep” in the UAE.
Abu Dhabi police reported an explosion of three fuel tanks in the industrial Musaffah area on Monday, near ADNOC oil firm’s storage facilities, while a construction site at Abu Dhabi International Airport witnessed a fire that broke out in that area.
Two Indians and one Pakistani were among the fatalities, according to the police. The wounded, who were claimed to have slight or moderate wounds, were not identified.
Preliminary investigations indicated the detection of small flying objects that presumably belonged to drones, dropped in the two places and may have been the reason for the explosion and fire, police said in a statement reported by state news agency WAM adding that an investigation had been opened.
Meanwhile, the Houthis’ military spokesman said the group has launched a military operation “deep in the UAE” in response to a military coalition commanded by Saudi Arabia and includes the UAE. More information would be released in the following hours, according to the spokesman.
The Houthis have attacked Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates with bomb-laden drones. The group has also employed booby-trapped boats to assault critical maritime routes and launched missiles against Saudi airports, oil infrastructure, and pipelines.
Government-aligned forces of Yemen recaptured the whole southern province of Shabwa from the Houthis earlier this month, helped by the UAE-backed Giants Brigades and with the backing of Saudi air assaults.
According to Mohammed al-Attab, reporting from Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, the Houthis’ information minister said that the intention of the strike within the United Arab Emirates was to teach them a lesson to stop their participation and involvement in the Saudi-led coalition.
The Houthis made their latest declaration two weeks after seizing a UAE-flagged ship off the coast of Yemen and releasing a film alleging to show military equipment on board.
The hijacking of the Rwabee, a “civilian cargo vessel” with 11 crew members, was described by the UAE as a “dangerous escalation” in the lucrative Red Sea maritime route.
Later, the Houthis refused a UN Security Council demand for immediately releasing the ship, claiming it was carrying guns for radicals, not toys for children.
Yemen’s years-long conflict has resulted in the world’s worst humanitarian disaster, with tens of thousands of people killed and many more on the brink of famine, according to the UN.
“The humanitarian crisis further continues to deteriorate,” al-Attab stated. “The Yemeni people continue to suffer a lack of fuel and possibilities”, he added.
