The United Arab Emirates successfully intercepted two ballistic missiles fired from Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
There were no casualties from the rocket fire or the debris, UAE’s Ministry of Defense announced on Monday, adding that the “fragments of the ballistic missiles fell in different areas around the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi.”
The ministry also stated its “full readiness to deal with any threats” and that it will “take all necessary measures to protect the UAE from any attacks.”
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The UAE Joint Operations Command also said it used an F-16 to destroy a ballistic missile launcher in Al Jawf immediately after the attack. The defense ministry posted a grainy black and white video on social media of the supposed retaliatory strike.
MOD Joint Operations Command announces that 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 defence systems. Video attached. pic.twitter.com/laFEq3qqLm
— وزارة الدفاع |MOD UAE (@modgovae) January 24, 2022
“U.S. forces at Al Dhafra Air Base, near Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), engaged two inbound missile threats with multiple Patriot interceptors coincident to efforts by the armed forces of the UAE in the early morning hours of Jan. 24, 2022. The combined efforts successfully prevented both missiles from impacting the base,” Capt. Bill Urban, U.S. Central Command spokesman, said in a statement. “There were no U.S. casualties.”
“U.S. forces did set a heightened alert posture at the time of the attack, the second in the span of a week, which did involve Airmen using available bunkers,” he added. “U.S. forces at Al Dhafra remain vigilant and ready to respond in case of any follow-on attacks. There are approximately 2000 U.S. servicemembers and personnel at Al Dhafra.”
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Yahya Sarea, a Houthi military spokesman, said they fired missiles at “sensitive targets,” and he “advise[d] foreign companies and investors in the UAE to leave as it has become unsafe,” Reuters reported.
Last week, the Houthis claimed credit for a drone strike that killed at least three people in the capital of the UAE. The Saudi military then killed at least 82 people in a retaliatory military strike in northern Yemen.
The Yemeni civil war has developed into a proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Neighboring states intervened in the conflict weeks after the Houthis seized the capital, while the conflict has driven millions of Yemeni civilians from their homes and threatened more with famine.
