Houthi fighters attack the United Arab Emirates with ballistic missiles

Yemen-based Houthi fighters have attacked the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with ballistic missiles. According to a statement issued by the Iran-backed Houthi fighters, they fired ballistic missiles towards an airbase in Abu Dhabi.

United Arab Emirates government has confirmed the attack. UAE’s MOD Joint Operations Command has released a statement in this regard. The statement says, “at 04:10 hrs Yemen time, an F-16 destroyed a ballistic missile launcher in Al Jawf, immediately after it launched two ballistic missiles at Abu Dhabi. They were successfully intercepted by our air defense system”.

UAE authorities have released two videos. They claim one video shows the missiles fired from Yemen by Houthi fighters were intercepted by UAE’s air defense system. And the other video shows UAE’s airstrike on the site in Yemen from where ballistic missiles were fired at the UAE.

Last week Houthi fighters carried out drone strikes on two locations in Abu Dhabi, in which at least three civilians were killed. After that Saudi and UAE forces launched a massive air campaign. Dozens of airstrikes were conducted on Houthi strongholds in Yemen. In an airstrike on Sada, several dozen refugees were killed. UN and US have been calling for calm since then.

The firing of missiles at the UAE indicates that armed hostilities between Yemen-based Houthi fighters and Saudi-led coalitions forces have reached another level.

Since 2015, Saudi and UAE led coalition forces have been trying to contain Houthi fighters. But Iran-backed Houthi fighters are in control of much of North Yemen and they have intensified their attacks in other parts of Yemen too.