On January 17, several facilities were attacked in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi. Iran-backed Yemeni fighters are held responsible for launching the drone strikes that caused explosions and a deadly fire outside the capital, ratcheting up security risks in the oil-exporting region at a critical time.
This is reported by Associated Press.
It is noted that the attack on UAE soil ignited a fire at Abu Dhabi’s main airport on Monday and set fuel trucks ablaze in a nearby industrial area, killing three people. It took place days after Yemen’s Houthi fighters warned Abu Dhabi against intensifying its air campaign against them. They took responsibility for the attack, calling it the revenge on the UAE for supporting their opponents in Yemen.
A preliminary investigation suggests drones fell in both incidents and may have triggered the blasts, the UAE’s state-run WAM news agency said.
Two Indians and one Pakistani were killed and six others injured in the fuel-tank fire close to the storage facilities of state-run oil group Adnoc, Abu Dhabi police said. Adnoc said the attack took place at 10 a.m. local time and that the casualties were all employees.
The incident occurred after government forces supported by the Emirates managed to conquer Shabwa province in Yemen, and the Husti in turn suffered significant losses.
The international community condemned events in UAE.
In his statement, António Guterres, UN Secretary-General, reminded that attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are prohibited by international humanitarian law.
The Secretary-General also called on all parties involved in Yemen’s nearly six year conflict, to exercise maximum restraint and prevent any escalation amid heightened tensions in the region.