BY Wasilat Azeez
Three people were killed, while six others sustained injuries in a drone attack that triggered a fuel tanker explosion in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The attack was claimed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels who said they had targeted facilities belonging to the UAE with ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
In a statement, the police in Abu Dhabi said the attacks targeted three oil trucks at a facility and an extension of the Abu Dhabi international airport.
“Preliminary investigations indicate the detection of small flying objects, possibly belonging to drones, that fell in the two areas and may have caused the explosion and fire,” the statement reads.
The attack was said to have killed two Indian nationals and one Pakistani as three tankers at the site exploded.
They said six people were also wounded at the facility, which is near the Al-Dhafra Air Base.
The police added that there was no significant damage to the airport or oil facility.
In retaliation to the attack in Abu-Dhabi, Saudi-led coalition forces announced on Tuesday that they have begun airstrikes against strongholds and camps belonging to the Houthi group in Sanaa, Yemen capital.
UAE is Saudi Arabia’s partner in the coalition.
“We have targeted terrorist leaders north of the capital, Sanaa,” Saudi Press Agency (SPA) quoted coalition forces as saying in a statement.
“In response to the threats, the operations make it necessary to continue shooting Sanaa.”
In another statement, the coalition said a comprehensive and deterrent operation will be conducted to neutralise the sources of the threat.
“Those responsible for hostile attacks against civilians in Saudi Arabia and the UAE will be held to account. The coalition air force conducts 24-hour air operations over Sanaa,” they said.
It called on the people of Sanaa to stay away from the communities and military camps where Houthi militias are located.
According to Reuters, residents and a medic said about 14 people were killed when coalition planes struck the home of a high-ranking Houthi military official, including his wife and son.
However, Hussein el-Ezzi, the deputy foreign minister for the Houthi administration, said the coalition’s strikes around the city had killed a total of about 20 people in Yemen.
Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria has expressed his condolences to the UAE over the attack.
According to a statement issued on Tuesday by Garba Shehu, presidential spokesman, Buhari described the attack as a “worrisome escalation”.
“On behalf of the government and the people of Nigeria, we express our deepest sympathies and condolences to the people and the friendly state of the UAE,” he was quoted as saying.
He also called for restraint and for stakeholders “to give dialogue and engagement a chance”.
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