ABU DHABI (Parliament Politics Magazine): State media in Saudi Arabia reported late Sunday that a Houthi ballistic missile had hit a residential neighbourhood in the south of the kingdom, hurting two individuals – a Sudaneseand and a Bangladeshi – destroying workshops and vehicles in an industrial sector.
Saudi defences downed the missile that was aimed at Dahran al-Janoub in the Asir region of southern Saudi Arabia, according to a coalition statement.
Later, a spokesman for Yemen’s Houthi rebels stated that attacks had been launched against the UAE and Saudi Arabia, but did not elaborate.
The Al Masirah television channel, which is controlled by the Houthis, said the group would reveal the details of a “broad military operation” against the two countries within hours, amid fears of tensions escalating further in the region amidst civil war in Yemen that has been going on for years.
As Yemen’s years-long civil conflict drags on, the strike on Abu Dhabi, which follows another last week, heightens tensions across the Persian Gulf.
Prepared to act
According to the defence ministry, the UAE is “is ready to deal with any threats and… takes all necessary measures to protect the state from all attacks,”
The coalition had previously stated that it was employing drones to pursue hostile actions by Yemen’s Houthi rebels. To protect civilians, the coalition said it will take operational steps in conformity with international humanitarian law.
The Houthis who have the backing of Iran, have been fighting a Saudi-led coalition in Yemen for over six years, conducting cross-border missile and drone assaults on Saudi Arabia and launching an audacious assault on the capital of UAE, Abu Dhabi on 17 January which resulted in the death of three people.
According to the Associated Press news agency, videos that were posted to social media showed before dawn on Monday, the sky lit up over the capital, with spots of light resembling interceptor missiles in the sky. The videos were based on well-known Abu Dhabi landmarks.
For almost an hour following the incident, traffic into Abu Dhabi International Airport, which is home to long-haul carrier Etihad, was affected.
In Yemen, the Saudi-led coalition has increased air strikes on what it calls Houthi objectives.
On Friday, in the northern province of Saada, a temporary detention centre was destroyed, killing at least 60 people, while another 20 people were murdered in an incident on Tuesday in the Houthi-held city of Sanaa.
The escalation has sparked fears of a deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Yemen, where the World Food Programme has cautioned that over five million people are on the verge of famine, with another 50,000 were already living in famine-like conditions.
