The United Arab Emirates is requesting US help to shore up its air defenses following a lethal drone assault claimed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Abu Dhabi on Monday.
Abu Dhabi Crown Value Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan spoke with US Protection Secretary Lloyd Austin by cellphone on Wednesday to request the help, the UAE’s ambassador to Washington Yousuf Al Otaiba mentioned following the decision.
A Pentagon official talking on situation of anonymity confirmed the request however supplied no additional particulars.
“They mentioned pressing steps to tighten air defenses in opposition to missiles and drones and improve maritime safety to cease weapons flows” to Yemen’s Houthi rebels, the UAE’s embassy in Washington mentioned in a statement.
Austin “underscored his unwavering help for the safety and protection of UAE territory in opposition to all threats,” the Pentagon mentioned in a press release in a while Wednesday.
Houthi drones struck three gas tankers, inflicting an explosion at a refinery on the Musaffah industrial zone in Abu Dhabi, and in addition induced a fireplace on the metropolis’s worldwide airport on Monday.
Otaiba additionally confirmed cruise and ballistic missiles had been used within the strikes, a number of of which he mentioned had been intercepted.
The assault, which killed three folks and wounded six others, threatens potential wider regional escalation in Yemen’s civil warfare. Though the Houthis have incessantly launched drones and missiles into Saudi Arabia, Emirati officers have till now denied the rebels’ claims of assaults on their territory.
“We’re asking our buddies within the administration and in Congress to reinstate the Houthi terrorist designation,” Otaiba instructed an viewers throughout a digital occasion held by the Washington-based assume tank Jewish Institute for Nationwide Safety of America.
“I feel the case speaks for itself. I feel attacking civilian targets whereas a rustic just isn’t in fight makes a really clear case,” Otaiba mentioned.
The Biden administration revoked a terrorist designation for the Iran-backed Houthi rebels final 12 months as US officers ready a diplomatic push for talks to end Yemen’s civil war, now in its seventh 12 months.
Riyadh and Abu Dhabi have lead roles within the Gulf navy coalition backing Yemen’s authorities in opposition to the Houthi rebels, which have taken over many of the nation’s north with the assistance of Iranian arms and training since 2014.
The UAE mentioned it withdrew its forces from Yemen in 2020 however has continued to support pro-government militias, together with the Giants Brigade, a tribal militia combating the recent offensive in Shabwa province to alleviate stress on the embattled oil-rich area around Marib, a key holdout of presidency forces.
Abu Dhabi is searching for an emergency assembly of the UN Safety Council in response to the assault.
The Emirati ambassador will be part of the UAE’s director of nationwide intelligence, Ali Al Shamsi, for meetings with senior Biden administration officials and members of Congress later in the present day, the embassy mentioned in a press release.
Saudi Arabia was additionally focused on Monday. The Riyadh-led navy coalition mentioned it intercepted eight drones launched towards the dominion following the Abu Dhabi assault. The coalition responded with a blitz of airstrikes in opposition to the Houthis within the rebel-held Yemeni capital Sanaa, killing no less than a dozen folks, in keeping with native reviews.
The United States removed several air defense methods from the Gulf region final 12 months, searching for to restore and preserve the items forward of potential deployment elsewhere on the earth as Washington refocuses its strategic priorities.
Aiding Gulf international locations in integrating their air protection capabilities has been a prime precedence for US Central Command in recent times as Iran-made drones and missiles have proliferated within the area.
Timothy Lenderking, the Biden administration’s lead diplomat tasked with pushing for a negotiated finish to Yemen’s warfare, departed for London and the Gulf in the present day to “reinvigorate peace efforts,” the State Division mentioned in the present day.
“The Particular Envoy and his workforce will press the events to de-escalate militarily and seize the brand new 12 months to take part totally in an inclusive UN-led peace course of,” the assertion learn.
The highest lawmaker on the Home’s international affairs committee, Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY), condemned the Houthi assault on Abu Dhabi in a press release yesterday.
“Assaults on civilian areas symbolize flagrant violations of worldwide regulation; this escalation makes attaining lasting peace for Yemen much more troublesome,” Meeks’ statement learn.
Monday’s assault got here because the UAE and Saudi Arabia have sought to reduce tensions with Iran by way of dialogue.
