Abu Dhabi: The United States (US) to deploy a missile defense system, warships, warplanes, and state-of-the-art fighter jets to extend support to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the wake of a series of missile strikes by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, a statement by the US mission to the UAE said on Wednesday, February 2.
The move comes in the wake of a phone conversation between Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
The missile defense system will be set up in collaboration with the UAE Navy and fifth-generation fighter jets will also be deployed in the Emirates. Along with this, a joint patrolling operation will be conducted.
UAE intercepts Houthi ballistic missile during Israeli president’s visit
On Monday, January 31, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched at it by Yemen’s Houthi group, marking the third such incident in January.
The UAE defense ministry, in a statement, said that debris from the missile fell in an unpopulated area and that no casualties were incurred.
The incident follows two earlier attacks on the Emirates in recent weeks.
Three people died in suspected drone attacks in Abu Dhabi
A suspected drone attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels targeting a key oil facility in Abu Dhabi killed three people and sparked a separate fire at Abu Dhabi’s international airport on January 17, 2022. Police in the UAE identified the dead as two Indian nationals and one Pakistani.
A second attack targeting the Al Dhafra airbase had failed.
On Thursday, January 27, the US advised its citizens not to travel to the UAE over the threat of Houthi missile or drone attacks.
The UAE is part of a Saudi-led military coalition that supports the Yemen government against the Iran-aligned Houthis movement.
In 2019, the UAE said that it had withdrawn its troops from Yemen, however, it remains an influential player.
The war in Yemen began in 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa, urging Saudi-led forces to intervene to support the government next year.
