Drone attack may be behind Abu Dhabi tanker explosion, fire

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Drones whitethorn person sparked an detonation connected 3 lipid tankers successful Abu Dhabi and whitethorn person caused a abstracted occurrence astatine an hold of the emirate’s main airdrome connected Monday, according to a connection by police.

Abu Dhabi constabulary described the airdrome occurrence arsenic “minor” and said it took spot astatine an hold of the planetary airdrome that is inactive nether construction. The connection reported a abstracted blast connected 3 petroleum transport tankers adjacent a retention installation for ADNOC, Abu Dhabi’s state-owned lipid company.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels, meanwhile, claimed they launched an onslaught astatine the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi is the UAE’s spot of authorities and steers the country’s overseas policy.

Abu Dhabi constabulary said preliminary investigations indicated the detection of tiny flying objects, perchance belonging to drones, that fell successful the 2 areas and whitethorn person caused the detonation and fire. They said determination was nary important harm from the incidents, without offering further details.

The UAE has been astatine warfare successful Yemen since aboriginal 2015, and was a cardinal subordinate of the Saudi-led conjugation that launched attacks against the Iranian-backed Houthis aft the radical overran the superior of Yemen and ousted the internationally backed authorities from power.

Although the UAE has decreased the fig of troops it has connected the ground, it continues to beryllium actively engaged successful the warfare and supports cardinal militias warring the Houthis. It besides cooperates intimately with the United States successful counter-terrorism operations successful Yemen.

The Houthis person travel nether unit successful caller weeks and are suffering dense losses arsenic Yemeni forces, allied and backed by the UAE, person pushed backmost the rebel radical successful cardinal confederate and cardinal provinces of the country. Yemen’s government-aligned forces, aided by the UAE-backed Giants Brigades and with assistance from Saudi airstrikes, reclaimed the full confederate state of Shabwa from the Houthis earlier this period and made advances successful adjacent Marib province.

On Monday, Houthi subject spokesperson Yahia Sarei said the radical launched an onslaught heavy successful the UAE. He did not supply further details, saying a connection would beryllium released soon.

The determination of the ADNOC retention installation wherever the tankers caught occurrence is astir 1,800 kilometers (1,100 miles) northeast of Saada, the Houthis’ stronghold successful Yemen.

The incidental comes arsenic South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in visits the UAE. During the president’s gathering with Emirati Prime Minister and Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum connected Sunday, the 2 countries reportedly reached a preliminary woody valued astatine immoderate $3.5 cardinal merchantability mid-range South Korean surface-to-air missiles to the UAE.

The Houthis person claimed erstwhile attacks connected Abu Dhabi’s airport, arsenic good arsenic the emirate’s Barakah atomic powerfulness works - claims that Emirati officials person denied successful the past.

The Houthis person utilized bomb-laden drones to motorboat crude and imprecise attacks aimed astatine Saudi Arabia and the UAE implicit the people of the war. The radical has besides launched missiles astatine Saudi airports, lipid facilities and pipelines, arsenic good arsenic utilized booby-trapped boats for attacks successful cardinal shipping routes.

Though determination person been civilian deaths successful Saudi Arabia from immoderate of these attacks, the overwhelming fig of civilian deaths person been successful Yemen. The warfare has killed 130,000 radical successful Yemen - some civilians and fighters - and has exacerbated hunger and famine crossed the impoverished country.