ABU DHABI (Parliament Politics Magazine): Following a spate of missile assaults by Yemen’s Houthi terrorists, the US will deploy cutting-edge fighter jets and a guided missile destroyer to help defend the UAE, according to a US statement released Wednesday.
According to the US embassy in the UAE, the deployment is to “help the UAE against the current danger” follows a telephonic conversation between Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.,On Monday, the UAE, which is part of a coalition fighting Houthi terrorists, backed by Iran, in Yemen to restore legitimacy, was a target of a missile attack for the third time consecutively in weeks.
According to the statement, the guided missile destroyer USS Cole will work with the UAE Navy and make a port call in Abu Dhabi, while fifth-generation fighter planes would be deployed by the US.
“Continuing to give early warning intelligence” is another action, according to the report.
The militant attacks have opened new possibilities in Yemen’s seven-year conflict, which has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people and the displacement of millions.
On January 17, three foreign workers were killed in a drone-and-missile attack on Abu Dhabi’s oil installations and airport, which prompted a barrage of lethal air strikes in reprisal.
As two ballistic missiles were shot down above the city on 24th January, the forces from the US stationed at Abu Dhabi’s Al Dhafra air base fired Patriot interceptors and scrambled to bunkers.
The deployment is intended to be “a clear indication that the US is with the UAE as a long-standing strategic partner,” according to the statement.
The militant strikes have escalated Gulf tensions at a time when international discussions over Iran’s nuclear programme are stalled, helping to boost oil prices to 7 year highs.
The civil war in Yemen began in 2014, when the Houthis took control of Sanaa, prompting Saudi Arabia and other countries to intervene the following year to prop up the government.
The UAE, one of the world’s largest arms buyers, said in 2019 that it would withdraw from Yemen, although it remains a powerful participant.
According to the UN, the world’s largest humanitarian disaster, millions of people are on the verge of starvation as a result of the grinding conflict.
