UAE intercepts ballistic missile launched by Houthi militia
January 31, 2022, 8:11 am

UAE intercepts ballistic missile launched by Houthi militia

Flag of UAE/Pixabay

The Arab News reported, citing the Associated Press and Reuters, the United Arab Emirates on Monday said it has intercepted a ballistic missile launched by Yemen's Houthi militia amid a visit by Israel’s President Isaac Herzog.

The UAE Ministry of Defense said in a statement carried by WAM news agency, the attack did not result in any losses as the destroyed missile fell outside populated areas.

The statement said that the UAE air forces, together with the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen, subsequently destroyed the missile launch site in Yemen's Al-Jawf governorate.

The UAE defense ministry affirmed its "full readiness to deal with any threats," adding that it will "take all necessary measures to protect the UAE from any attacks."

The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority on Monday assured the public that the latest Houthi atrocity has not affected air traffic in the region's busiest air corridor.

The authority said: "The air traffic in the country is going as usual, and operations of all flights are running normally. There is no impact on flights and airports as a result of the ballistic missile launched by the terrorist Houthi militia."

The Houthi attack came hours after Israel’s President Herzog arrived in Abu Dhabi to seek stronger regional ties.

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The UAE, along with Bahrain, signed US-brokered normalization agreements with Israel, dubbed the “Abraham Accords,” in 2020. The two Gulf states and Israel share concerns about Iran and its allied forces in the region.

Herzog discussed security and bilateral relations with the UAE’s de facto ruler, Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in Abu Dhabi.

His office said that Herzog spent the night in Abu Dhabi, and he will continue his UAE visit despite the Houthi attack. He was scheduled to visit Dubai’s Expo 2020 world’s fair Monday.

Liz Truss: UK stands with UAE following fatal Houthi attack

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in December made his first official visit to the UAE and discussed strengthening relations on a number of fronts with Sheikh Mohammed.

The missile attack happened just after a Houthi military spokesman Yehia Sarei boasted on Twitter that the terror group would disclose within hours details of a new military operation deep inside the UAE.

On January 17, a drone-and-missile attack by the Iran-backed terror militia hit an Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. fuel depot, killing three people and wounding six others. A second missile assault on Monday was foiled.

UAE air defenses shoot down two Houthi missiles, no injuries reported

The missile attacks targeting the UAE come as the Houthis face pressure and are suffering heavy losses on the battlefield. Aided by the Emirati-backed Giants Brigades, Yemeni government forces took back the province of Shabwa earlier this month in a blow to Houthi efforts to complete their control of the entire northern half of Yemen.

While Emirati troops have been killed over the course of the conflict, until this month the war hadn't directly affected daily life in the wider UAE, a country with a vast foreign workforce

Source: arabnews

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.