politics

UAE Forces Say They Intercepted Houthi Missile Strike, the Third Attack This Month

Abduljabbar Zeyad | Reuters
  • Monday's missile launch is the third attack by the Houthis this month.
  • The first, on Jan. 17 killed three people, while the second attack the following Monday was thwarted.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The United Arab Emirates says it has intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile that was fired by Yemen's Houthi rebels over an uninhabited area in the early hours of Monday morning.

The UAE's Ministry of Defense said the attack did not cause any losses, and the country's civil aviation authority added that civil air operations are now back to normal.

"There were no casualties resulting from the attack and the fragments of the ballistic missile fell outside of populated areas," the defense ministry said in a statement.

It added: "The UAE air defence forces and the Coalition Command had succeeded in destroying the missile launcher in Yemen after identifying locations of the sites."

The ministry pledged its "full readiness to deal with any threats," and that it will "take all necessary measures to protect the UAE from any attacks."

Oil was at multi-year highs as the week began, with international benchmark Brent crude trading at $91.31 a barrel at 3:30 p.m. UAE time, up 1.42% on the previous session. The commodity surpassed $90 a barrel last week for the first time since 2014 on supply concerns and geopolitical tensions surrounding Russia and the Middle East.

The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack, and have also warned the UAE that they plan to disclose details of a military operation "deep within the country" soon.

Monday's missile launch is the third attack by the Houthis this month; the first, on Jan. 17 killed three people, while the second attack the following Monday was thwarted by U.S. forces' Patriot missile defense system at Abu Dhabi's Al Dhafra Air Base, which the U.S. said was done in tandem with UAE forces.

It also comes as Israeli President Isaac Herzog is on his first official visit to UAE, and follows Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's visit in December. Herzog will be continuing his trip despite the Houthi attacks, meeting with de-facto UAE leader and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. He condemned the attacks and also sought to bolster regional ties.

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