Jan. 20, 2022: Air raids against Yemen, 2021 overview – Saudi Arabia’s role in Southern Yemen – Yemen’s small islands hold major strategic value – Houthi attack against Abu Dhabi – Saudi/UAE air raid against Sanaa kills 23 – and more
Wegen eines technischen Defekts war es nicht möglich, das Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 782 für den Zeitraum vom 12. Januar 7.00 MEZ bis 16. Januar 7.00 MEZ online zu stellen. Ich hoffe, das demnächst nachholen zu können.
Due to a technical defect, it was not possible to publish the Yemen War Mosaic 782, covering the period from January 12, 7:00 a.m. CET to January 16, 7:00 a.m. CET. I hope it could be repeated soon.
Schwerpunkte / Key aspects
Kursiv: Siehe Teil 2 / In Italics: Look in part 2: https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-784b-yemen-war-mosaic-784b
Klassifizierung / Classification
Für wen das Thema ganz neu ist / Who is new to the subject
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Coronavirus und Seuchen / Most important: Coronavirus and epidemics
cp1b Am wichtigsten: Drohnenangriff der Huthis auf Emirate / Most important: Houthi drone attack against UAE
cp1c Am wichtigsten: Saudi-VAE-Luftangriff auf Sanaa / Most important: Saudi/UAE air raid at Sanaa
cp1d Am wichtigsten: Konflikt im Roten Meer / Most important: Conflict in the Red Sea
cp2 Allgemein / General
cp2a Allgemein: Saudische Blockade / General: Saudi blockade
cp3 Humanitäre Lage / Humanitarian situation
cp4 Flüchtlinge / Refugees
cp5 Nordjemen und Huthis / Northern Yemen and Houthis
cp6 Separatisten und Hadi-Regierung im Südjemen / Separatists and Hadi government in Southern Yemen
cp7 UNO und Friedensgespräche / UN and peace talks
cp8 Saudi-Arabien / Saudi Arabia
cp9 USA
cp9a USA-Iran Krise: Spannungen am Golf / US-Iran crisis: Tensions at the Gulf
cp10 Großbritannien / Great Britain
cp11 Deutschland / Germany
cp12 Andere Länder / Other countries
cp12b Sudan
cp13a Waffenhandel / Arms trade
cp13b Kulturerbe / Cultural heritage
cp13c Wirtschaft / Economy
cp15 Propaganda
cp16 Saudische Luftangriffe / Saudi air raids
cp17 Kriegsereignisse / Theater of War
cp18 Kampf um Hodeidah / Hodeidah battle
Klassifizierung / Classification
***
**
*
(Kein Stern / No star)
? = Keine Einschatzung / No rating
A = Aktuell / Current news
B = Hintergrund / Background
C = Chronik / Chronicle
D = Details
E = Wirtschaft / Economy
H = Humanitäre Fragen / Humanitarian questions
K = Krieg / War
P = Politik / Politics
pH = Pro-Houthi
pS = Pro-Saudi
T = Terrorismus / Terrorism
Für wen das Thema ganz neu ist / Who is new to the subject
Ältere einführende Artikel u. Überblicke für alle, die mit den Ereignissen im Jemen noch nicht vertraut sind, hier:
Yemen War: Older introductory articles, overviews, for those who are still unfamiliar with the Yemen war here:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-einfuehrende-artikel-u-ueberblicke
(* B H K)
Film: Conflict, destruction and perennial hunger in conflict-ridden Yemen
Yemen in facing large-scale destruction and perennial hunger in the conflict-ridden country with no food and aid supplies. Yemenis are struggling day in and day out to keep themselves alive our next report brings you more details, take a look.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEGfpucKLBk
(B H K)
Explainer: What is the Yemen war?
https://www.dawn.com/news/1670170
My remark: The figures of victims are outdated. A recent estimate by the UN states ca. 377,000 killed: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/11/23/un-yemen-recovery-possible-in-one-generation-if-war-stops-now
(* B H K)
How the Yemen conflict flare-up affects its humanitarian crisis
Al Jazeera takes a look at the effect seven years of war has had on the Arab world’s poorest country.
Death toll
Though exact figures are difficult to gather, the UN estimates that more than 377,000 people have died due to the conflict as of late 2021.
In a report published late last year, the United Nations Development Programme said roughly 60 percent of deaths were the result of indirect causes, including famine and preventable diseases. The rest were caused by front-line combat and air raids.
The report noted that children account for 70 percent of deaths.
Aid agencies say this is due to the vulnerability of infants and the complexity of the protracted conflict, which has taken a heavy toll on social and health services.
Famine
According to the World Food Programme (WFP), some 16.2 million Yemenis, or about 45 percent of the total population, are food insecure.
The UN agency has warned that more than five million people were on the brink of famine while 50,000 others were living in famine-like conditions.
The food crisis has been compounded by a sharp increase in the price of basic commodities, which have seen a 30 to 70 percent spike since the start of the conflict.
Malnutrition among children and pregnant or breastfeeding women is another pressing concern, with WFP warning that the two groups were particular victims of malnutrition.
Displacement
The conflict has also forced an estimated 4.6 million Yemenis to flee, according to UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) figures.
In the first two weeks of 2022 alone, 3,468 people (578 families) were displaced, the UN agency said in a recent report.
Internally displaced (IDP) Yemenis face a plethora of challenges and are more at risk of famine and preventable diseases.
UNHCR estimates that some 67 percent of Yemen’s internally displaced, or some 2.6 million people, are currently food insecure.
Children and women are also disproportionately affected by the conflict, representing 79 percent of the total IDP population.
Bleak prospect
With no end in sight for the conflict, analysts say Yemen faces a bleak future.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/1/18/yemens-humanitarian-crisis-at-a-glance
(* A P)
International Criminal Court Communication
On 11th December 2019 a coalition of European and Yemeni groups led by Mwatana for Human Rights and the European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), including Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT), submitted a Communication to the International Criminal Court (ICC), calling on the Court to investigate European governments and arms company officials for potentially aiding and abetting war crimes in Yemen.
The Office of the Prosecutor is still examining the Communication to decide if the ICC will start a formal investigation. Help demonstrate the strength of public feeling on this case, by calling on the Prosecutor, British lawyer Karim Khan, to secure accountablity for the people of Yemen.
https://caat.org.uk/call-on-icc-to-investigate-potential-war-crimes-in-yemen/
cp1 Am wichtigsten / Most important
(** B K)
YEMEN DATA PROJECT AIR RAIDS SUMMARY JANUARY 2022
Yemen Air War 2021 Data Overview
Saudi Coalition Bombings Surge Following End of U.N. War Crimes Investigations
Yemen Data Project recorded a surge in air raids* and civilian casualties in the Saudi-led air war in Yemen following the UN Human Rights Council vote in October 2021 that brought to an end the mandate of the Group of Eminent Experts (GEE) on Yemen. The October vote ended U.N. investigations into violations of international humanitarian law, human rights law and war crimes in the conflict, closing the only international route to accountability for Yemenis. It was the the first time in the UN Human Rights Council's history that a resolution was defeated.
In the two months following the GEE's dissolution, Saudi coalition bombing rates increased by 43% in December compared to October. Civilian casualties in the air war reaching the highest monthly rate in 2.5 years. The 648 air raids recorded from October to the end of the year marked the heaviest quarter period of bombing since July-September 2018. December 2021 saw the highest monthly rate of air raids (250) since June 2020. The 94 civilian casualties recorded in Saudi-led air raids in Yemen in December 2021 marked the highest number of civilian deaths and injuries in a single month since August 2019.
The year ended with a 224% month-on-month increase in civilian casualties from the 16-month high of November. At least 32 civilians were killed and 62 injured in December, more than in the 11 previous months of 2021 combined. A single air raid killed at least 18 civilians and injured a further eight when the Saudi coalition bombed a residential area in Maqbanah district of Taiz on 3 December - the deadliest air raid for civilians in 2021.
At least 70 civilians were killed in coalition bombings last year, 14 children were amongst the dead a further 117 civilians were injured including 26 women and children. Women and children accounted for almost a quarter (23.5%) of all civilian casualties in 2021.
During 2021 the Saudi-led coalition carried out an average of 5 air raids per day. Air raid rates for the year dropped by 17% from the 82% year-on-year rise in 2020. Despite the reduction in air raids, the maximum number of individual airstrikes was just 5% lower in 2021 compared to the previous year. Yemen Data Project recorded up to 7,240 individual Saudi-led coalition airstrikes* - an average of almost 20 individual airstrikes per day in 2021.
Civilian casualty rates in the air war in 2021 continued the declining trend seen since the first year of the bombing campaign. In 2021 the number of civilian deaths and injuries (187) in coalition air raids was the lowest of any year since the air war began in 2015 with numbers declining by 12% year-on-year from 212 in 2020 to 187 in 2021.
Since 2017, coalition bombing rates have declined year-on-year to the 2019 low of 1,181. This trend ended in 2020 with an 82% increase in bombings to 2,155. Despite the reduced rate in 2021, air raids were still more than 50% higher than the 2019 low.
Yemen Data Project has recorded a total of 18,755 civilian casualties in 24,276 air raids* from March 2015 to the end of 2021 with up 72,362 individual airstrikes.
Air war Focus on Marib in 2021
The year was marked by escalating violence in contested districts of Marib following a renewed effort by pro-Houthi forces to take territory in the governorate, resulting in Marib being the most heavily bombed governorate countrywide for the second consecutive year. Almost half (49%) of all Saudi coalition air raids carried out in Yemen in 2021 hit Marib. At least 884 air raids with up to 5,322 individual airstrikes targeted the governorate in 2021, a 21% increase from 2020. Civilians were also reportedly killed and injured in multiple incidents in the pro-Houthi ground offensive that saw them take significant territory in the south of the governorate in the second half of 2021.
Al-Hudaydah was the worst governorate for civilians in the air war in 2021. Almost a quarter (23.5%) of all civilian casualties in the bombing campaign in 2021 were in Al-Hudaydah. Of the 44 civilian casualties recorded in the governorate in the year, 38 occurred in November and December. In 2021, Al-Hudaydah saw the highest rate of air raids and the highest number of civilian casualties in the governorate since the de-escalation brought in by the Stockholm Agreement in December 2018.
In December, air raids surged in the Yemeni capital to the highest monthly rate in four years.YDP recorded at least 30 Saudi coalition bombings in Amanat al-Asimah (the governorate of the capital) in the final month of 2021, the highest monthly number of air raids in the city since December 2017 - the month pro-Houthi forces killed former president Ali Abdullah Saleh in the capital.
Bombings in Residential Areas Responsible for 64% of Civilian Casualties
Saudi-led coalition air raids hit farms, schools, healthcare facilities, market places, a food storage facility, an IDP settlement, and transport infrastructure in 2021. Air raids in residential areas caused 64% of all civilian casualties. 119 civilians were killed and injured when air raids hit residential areas. The deadliest air raids for civilians in 2021 were in Taiz, Marib, Shabwa, Al--Hudaydah and Mahwit, four of which were in bombings of residential areas. Bombings of civilian vehicles and buses resulted in 19 civilian casualties. An air raid on a civilian vehicle in Shabwah killed seven civilians including three children and one woman on 18 September. Two separate air raids that hit civilian vehicles on 26 December in Taiz governorate injured 11 civilians.
In 2021, 28% of bombings hit military targets, 16% hit civilian targets**. In 56% of air raids the target could not be identified. Of the 794 air raids where the target could be identified, 37% were civilian, 63% were military.
Data Summary for December 2021
The year ended with 250 coalition air raids in December resulting in 94 civilian casualties. This was a 12% increase in bombings from November and the highest civilian casualty toll in a single month since August 2019. In keeping with the rest of the year, Marib was the main focus of Saudi-led coalition bombings.
Taiz saw the highest monthly rate (25) of bombings in the governorate since May 2018. There were also notable rises in air raid rates in both the capital governorate of Amanat al-Asimah (30) and Shabwa (10) where bombings reached the highest monthly rates in both governorates since December 2017.
Of the 171 air raids were the target could be identified in December
19 hit residential areas, killing 29 civilians including 3 children and 1 woman. A further 25 civilians were injured.
5 hit government compounds, killing 3 civilians including 1 child and 1 woman. A further 7 civilians were injured including 3 children and 2 women.
4 hit private businesses in the capital, injuring 2 civilians.
2 hit civilian vehicles in Taiz governorate, injuring 11 civilians.
1 hit a food storage facility in the capital, injuring 16 civilians.
A school, a water and electricity site, farms, a university, a television station, a fuel station, and transport infrastructure were also amongst the targets hit in December.
https://mailchi.mp/7af91bc30aee/january2022-yemen-data-project-update-13429404?e=f566619a0e
(** B P)
Saudi Arabia’s Role in Southern Yemen
Between Hegemonic Aspirations and the Need for Peace and Stability
Introduction
Close engagement with Yemen has been one of the fundamentals of Saudi foreign policy since modern Saudi Arabia was established in 1932. Saudi policy toward Yemen has been shaped by four basic factors: Yemen’s foreign and domestic policy; regional and international developments; the nature of the Saudi regime and its decision-making mechanisms; and the political and security consequences of having a long, shared border. Saudi Arabia has experienced three major political events to its south: the 1962 revolution in North Yemen,[1] the rise of the socialist regime in South Yemen in 1967,[2] and the unification of North and South Yemen in 1990.[3] Riyadh employed a range of soft power tools including a network of local alliances, dispensing economic aid, and propagating its Sunni Islamic ideology – Salafi-Wahhabism – to maximize its political influence in times of stability and wage proxy wars in times of conflict. Before the current conflict, direct Saudi military intervention was restricted to protecting its borderlands, such as the 1969 war with the leftist government in Aden and the 2009 war with the armed Houthi movement (Ansar Allah).
Saudi actions have been underpinned by fear of a strong, hostile state on its border. Now, over three decades after the proclamation of the unified Republic of Yemen, Saudi Arabia fears the opposite: that Yemen remains a weak and failed state. When he took power in 2015, King Salman launched Operation Decisive Storm with the stated objective of ending the Houthi seizure of power and restoring the internationally recognized government to power in Sana’a. But the realities of Yemen’s domestic dynamics and regional geopolitics – among them, the weakness of the legitimate government, a resurgent southern movement demanding an independent southern state, disagreements between Saudi Arabia and its main military coalition partner, the United Arab Emirates, US pressure to end the war, the humanitarian crisis, Houthi battle resilience – stymied those hopes. As a result, Saudi policy has focused on three objectives over the past two years: consolidating its dominant position in areas held by the internationally recognized government in the south and east of the country; containing the security threat posed by the Houthi movement, most notably on its southern border; and mapping out a political settlement that allows Riyadh to remain a pivotal player in the Yemeni arena, supporting allies in bringing the war to a conclusion that suits Saudi interests.
Since the brokering of a cease-fire deal in Hudaydah in December 2018, southern Yemeni governorates have become a dynamic theater of operations for the Saudis, with Riyadh intensifying its military deployments from Al-Mahra in the east near Oman to the interim capital Aden in the southwest. This military activity was accompanied by renewed diplomatic efforts, culminating in the signing of the Riyadh Agreement in November 2019 between the secessionist Southern Transitional Council (STC), which demands a southern independent state, and President Abdo Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s internationally recognized government. But Saudi Arabia has not faced an easy path in establishing political clout in southern Yemen. Its policy of supporting Hadi as the legitimate leader of Yemen has had to contend with features of southern politics such as calls for secession and political reform. This has obliged Saudi Arabia to engage a series of local actors inside Yemen, on one hand, and recalibrate its approach to regional actors such as the UAE, on the other. While this approach has ensured a period of relative stability in southern governorates, it now appears to be producing diminishing returns for Saudi Arabia and its ability to direct events according to its interests.
In examining the Saudi role in southern Yemen, this paper is divided into three sections. The first gives a brief historical overview of the evolution of Saudi policy toward South Yemen, from the latter’s national independence in 1967 to the Houthi movement’s takeover of Sana’a in 2014. The second analyzes the dynamics of the current Saudi role in the south, from Operation Decisive Storm to the conclusion of the Riyadh Agreement. The third addresses the peace dilemma in Yemen: the future of faltering Saudi mediation efforts in the south and ways of directing the positive, balancing aspects of the Saudi role toward a resolution of the conflict and lasting political reform.
Saudi Arabia and the peace dilemma
Saudi Arabia’s policy aims in southern Yemen are to preserve unity, reinforce its hegemony and achieve a comprehensive political settlement. Riyadh has adjusted its foreign policy over the course of the conflict toward a more flexible and pragmatic approach in which it builds consensus and wields power with a lighter touch. This generated the Riyadh Agreement, the November 2019 political settlement that succeeded in defusing armed conflict in the south and led to the formation in December 2019 of a new power-sharing cabinet led by Maeen Abdelmalek Saeed, who is close to Saudi Arabia and was first appointed in 2018. But despite Khalid bin Salman’s efforts, the Riyadh Agreement has been unsuccessful as a long-term plan of action.
Saudi Arabia has numerous tools of influence in southern Yemen. These include a military deployment on the ground in Aden, Shabwa and Al-Mahra; a broad network of regional alliances, in particular with the UAE, whose cooperation has been critical throughout the conflict; and local alliances through the armed forces of the internationally recognized government and its political institutions (the presidency, parliament, cabinet, local authorities), as well as emerging tribal groupings (the Hadramawt Tribal Alliance, Shabwa tribes, Al-Mahra tribes, Abyan tribes) and Salafi movements. In addition, Riyadh is key to the financing of civilian and military sectors, covering the fuel for power plants, providing liquidity to stabilize the currency and paying government and STC salaries, as well as holding the purse-strings for any post-conflict reconstruction. All of this enabled Saudi Arabia to pacify opposition to the Riyadh Agreement.
Despite this, Saudi mediation suffered constant setbacks throughout 2020 and 2021. Progress was dependent upon Khalid bin Salman’s direct intervention to counter escalations by the STC. Saudi Arabia’s bureaucratic arms – its special committee on Yemen, its embassy, the Saudi army, its intelligence services – have proven unable to manage the day-to-day requirements of the Yemen question in an effective manner. These agencies lack coordination and vision for their plans of action – by Hussam Radman
https://sanaacenter.org/publications/analysis/16146
(** B P)
Yemen’s Small Islands Hold Major Strategic Value
Regardless of what cargo this particular vessel was actually carrying, the incident underscores the strategic centrality of the waterways off Yemen’s shores and the islands located in them, namely Mayun—also known as Perim—and the Socotra Archipelago. In addition to being located in one of the world’s most critical maritime routes, these islands are also at the crossroads of numerous political, economic and security competitions within the region and globally. Control over them will be a significant geopolitical flashpoint in the Middle East in 2022 and beyond, with both regional and global ramifications.
Mayun is a small volcanic island, just 5 square miles in size, in the Bab El Mandeb Strait, dividing this choke point between the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea into two channels. That makes it a crucial strategic outpost on the maritime route connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean via the Suez Canal, the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. Currently occupied by UAE-backed forces, Mayun hosts a recently constructed air base assumed to be operated by the Emirates.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Socotra Archipelago consists of four islands off the coast of Yemen and the Horn of Africa where the Gulf of Aden opens onto the Arabian Sea.
Beyond their location at the junction of several strategic maritime routes, Mayun and the Socotra Archipelago also offer whoever controls them a valuable platform for power projection in several equally strategic terrestrial theaters. First, they are directly adjacent to the Horn of Africa, the site of ongoing competition in the broader regional rivalry pitting Saudi Arabia and the UAE against Qatar and Turkey. (Iran is also involved in the Horn, albeit to a far lesser extent.)
Given their location at the entrance to the Red Sea and, through it, the Suez Canal, Mayun and the Socotra Archipelago also offer whoever controls them leverage over another theater of intense regional competition: the Eastern Mediterranean. The UAE, Israel and Greece have considerably increased their cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean in an effort to push back against Turkey’s assertive behavior.
Another quickly evolving theater of competition in which Mayun and the Socotra Archipelago could figure prominently involves Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Though Riyadh and Abu Dhabi have worked together on several different fronts, their relationship has recently been roiled by a number of foreign policy disagreements and increasing economic competition, particularly when it comes to ports, logistics and transport. Saudi commentators have increasingly criticized the UAE’s actions in Yemen, and the two OPEC countries recently clashed publicly over whether or not to increase oil production levels. As the UAE pushes to solidify its influence over Yemen’s strategic islands and waterways located in Saudi Arabia’s backyard, Mayun and the Socotra Archipelago could become another source of tension.
In addition to their regional ramifications, the status of these islands will have considerable repercussions for great power competition between the United States, China and—to a lesser degree—Russia.
With the United States seeking to draw down its military presence in the Middle East in order to concentrate on its rivalry with China, it has increasingly sought to offshore its interests to regional partners. Each of the normalization deals has its own multi-vectored logic. But the one between Israel and the UAE in particular, whether by design or happy coincidence, facilitates domination by the U.S. coalition of critically important maritime routes that make up the three sides of what Islamabad-based journalist and Pakistan affairs analyst Tom Hussain refers to as a “strategic triangle” in the Middle East:
Should tensions continue to rise between the United States and China or Russia, Washington’s views its ability to control these waterways via its regional partners as a strategic advantage. However, this calculus is rooted in the assumption that these partners are committed to advancing U.S. interests in the region. That assumption has been increasingly challenged recently, particularly with regard to the UAE, which has pursued policies at odds with U.S. interests and preferences on everything from supporting authoritarian counterrevolutions in the Middle East and manipulating the return of great power competition to the region, to illegally interfering in U.S. domestic politics.
The future of Yemen’s islands will have considerable repercussions for strategic competitions within the Middle East and beyond. Continued outside control over them will prolong the fragmentation of Yemen’s territorial integrity and obstruct any hopes of genuinely resolving its civil war, adding to the plight of the Yemeni people. And should the current round of diplomatic engagement to ease regional rivalries fail, and any of the currently “frozen” conflicts across the Middle East erupt again, control and influence over these islands could be a determining factor.
Likewise, as great power competition between the United States and China in particular continues to escalate, Yemen’s islands could find themselves in the middle of a broader struggle for global influence. What is clear is that Mayun and the Socotra Archipelago will remain in the crosshairs of regional and global competitors for the foreseeable future – by Joon Hoffman
cp1a Am wichtigsten: Coronavirus und Seuchen / Most important: Coronavirus and epidemics
(A H)
Eighty five new coronavirus infections have been documented in Yemen/Aden Alghad
https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-54243
(A H)
COVID-19 Jemen: 7-Tage-Inzidenz | 19.01.2022
(A H)
COVID-19 Impfungen Jemen: vollständig geimpft (%) | 19.01.2022
(A H)
In-5-regions-a-death-and-41-infection-cases-of-corona-virus
https://en.smanews.org/south-arabia/in-5-regions-a-death-and-41-infection-cases-of-corona-virus/
(A H)
Omicron variant hits Aden
Hundreds of citizens have been infected with the new Omicron variant of Covid-19 in the city of Aden, southern Yemen, local sources said on Sunday.
https://en.ypagency.net/250450/
(A H)
25 new COVID-19 cases reported, 10,218 in total
The committee also said in its statement that no recoveries nor deaths were recorded.
http://en.adenpress.news/news/34373
(A H)
Film: Yemen - Spread of fevers in Taiz put further strain on the health system
During the past days, hospitals and health centers in Taiz governorate, southwest Yemen, have received dozens of patients with malaria, dengue, colds, typhoid, and other fevers. Taiz is one of the Yemeni governorates with the highest cases of fever and virus infections because of the cold winter and weather change, amid the absence of medical centers in many areas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gKNyG46td8
(** B K P)
Abu Dhabi’s Dilemma
The attack of January 17 will force the United Arab Emirates to make one of two choices, neither of them desirable.
To understand the context, we need to examine what has happened in Yemen in recent months. Last November, forces forming part of the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis redeployed from Hodeida Governorate to the Shabwa front. Among them were the Giants Brigades, a militia supported by the UAE that is better organized than any of the other military units backed by the coalition.
Through such a step, the coalition sought to redefine the rules of engagement in Yemen
The coalition’s new military plan required a consensus between the Saudis and Emiratis. This was facilitated by administrative changes in Shabwa in order to meet the UAE’s conditions for green-lighting the participation of its local allies in the battle. The UAE had demanded the removal of the governor, Mohammed bin Adyo, who is backed by the Islah Party affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood. He was replaced by Awad al-Awlaki, who has good relations with the UAE. In addition, the UAE-backed Shabwani Elite Forces also returned to Shabwa after changing its name to the Shabwa Defense Forces.
In early January, the Giants Brigades began a military operation to push the Houthis out of the districts they controlled in Shabwa. In less than ten days, they and Yemeni government forces retook the districts of Usaylan, Bayhan, and large parts of Ayn. The battle moved to the Harib District of Ma’rib.
The reentry of UAE-backed forces into the battle against the Houthis was a significant step, after the Emiratis had announced in July 2019 that they were withdrawing from Yemen. At the time the Houthis claimed that they had reached an understanding with the UAE in which the Emiratis agreed not to escalate the situation in western Yemen, otherwise the UAE would be targeted.
One of the main unanswered questions is whether the Houthis were actually the ones who launched the attack against Abu Dhabi, or whether their role was to claim responsibility for an attack carried out by Iran. The distance between Sanaa and Abu Dhabi is around 1,500 kilometers and there are doubts that the Houthis could have carried out so accurate a strike from Yemen. Many recalled the attack against the Aramco facilities in Abqaiq in September 2019.
In terms of destruction, the attack against the UAE was relatively limited. But its real impact is that it brings home to Emirati leaders that, if they don’t change their behavior, their country will be included in the Houthis’ target list from now on.
This incident will put the UAE in front of two choices. The first is to retreat from the escalation in Ma’rib and focus its operations on areas far from the front line with the Houthis. If the UAE steps back, it is likely that the attack this week will remain just a message from the Houthis to remind the UAE not to increase its military involvement. However, this would mean that the Emiratis would remain vulnerable to Houthi attacks or that of their backers. Moreover, such a choice would also weaken again the UAE’s partnership with Saudi Arabia.
A second choice would be, on the contrary, for the UAE to escalate its military, political, and diplomatic involvement in Yemen. However, to do so it would need to strengthen its air defenses to protect against any potential military responses in the future. It would also force the UAE to reconsider its strategy in Yemen and harmonize its military approach there with Saudi Arabia. Moreover, that could have a negative impact on the Emiratis’ relations with Iran, and could undermine the recent thaw in relations between the two countries.
Whatever the UAE decides, the repercussions of the latest incident will remain present in how the conflict in Yemen progresses. This is only the latest example of how the war has spread beyond the confines of Yemen to have major implications for the wider region. Such a direction underlines why a resolution to the conflict is more imperative than ever – by Ahmed Nagi
https://carnegie-mec.org/diwan/86206
cp1b Am wichtigsten: Drohnenangriff der Huthis auf Emirate: Deutsch / Most important: Houthi drone attack against UAE: German
(** A K)
Huthi-Rebellen attackieren Abu Dhabi
Bei einem mutmaßlichen Drohnenangriff der Huthi-Rebellen aus dem Jemen sind in Abu Dhabi mindestens drei Menschen getötet worden. Auf einem Industriegelände explodierten Öltanks, am Flughafen brach Feuer aus.
Drei Tote, sechs Verletzte - mutmaßlich Opfer eines Angriffs aus dem Jemen: Huthi-Rebellen attackierten offenbar Abu Dhabi, die Hauptstadt der Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate. In der Nähe einer Öl-Anlage gingen drei Tanklaster in Flammen auf; in einem Ausläufer des internationalen Flughafens von Abu Dhabi brach ein Feuer aus. Auf die Frage einer Reporterin nach dem Angriff sagte der Energieminister der Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate, Suhail al-Mazrouei, die Ermittlungen liefen.
Es sei am besten, erst einmal weitere Informationen der Polizei abzuwarten, so al-Mazrouei. Bisher erklärte die Polizei, bei ihren vorläufigen Untersuchungen habe sie Teile kleiner Flugobjekte entdeckt - möglicherweise von Drohnen, die die Explosion und das Feuer verursacht haben könnten.
Die Huthi-Rebellen im Jemen behaupteten, sie stünden hinter einem Angriff auf die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate, nannten aber keine Details. Mohamed al-Bukheiti, ein Mitglied des Huthi-Politbüros, rechnet auf jeden Fall damit, dass es zu weiteren Spannungen kommen wird: "Wir erwarten eine Eskalation seitens der Emirate und werden ihr gegebenenfalls wiederum mit Eskalation begegnen." Die Frage laute: Wer wird am Ende der Geschädigte sein? "Die Emirate hatten eine Strategie für ihren Abzug aus dem Jemen. Und wir hatten ihnen einen sicheren Abzug garantiert. Allerdings sind sie zur Eskalation zurückgekehrt", so al-Bukheiti.
https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/afrika/huthi-rebellen-drohnenangriff-abu-dhabi-101.html
als Audio: https://www.tagesschau.de/multimedia/audio/audio-125093.html
(** A K)
Drei Tote bei Drohnenangriff in Abu Dhabi
Die Huthi-Rebellen aus dem Jemen haben nach mehreren Angriffen in Saudi-Arabien erstmals auch die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate angegriffen. In der Hauptstadt Abu Dhabi wurden nach Polizeiangaben drei Menschen getötet, als Benzintanks explodierten und ein Feuer am Flughafen ausbrach. Videos, die auf Twitter verbreitet wurden, zeigten eine Rauchwolke über dem Flughafen.
Bei den Getöteten handelt es sich nach Polizeiangaben um zwei Inder und ein Pakistaner, die für den staatlichen Ölkonzern ADNOC arbeiteten. Das Feuer brach den Angaben zufolge in einem Baugebiet am Flughafen aus. An beiden Orten seien kleine Flugobjekte gefunden worden, "die möglicherweise zu Drohnen gehören", teilte die Polizei mit.
Die Huthi-Rebellen bekannten sich zu dem Angriff und bestätigten den Einsatz bewaffneter Drohnen, weiterhin setzten sie nach eigenen Angaben Raketen ein. Ihr Militärsprecher Jahja Saree sagte im von den Rebellen kontrollierten Fernsehsender Al-Massira, der "erfolgreiche" Angriff habe sich gegen "wichtige und sensible Standorte und Einrichtungen der Emirate" gerichtet. Zivilisten und ausländische Unternehmen sollten sich zu ihrer eigenen Sicherheit in Zukunft von wichtiger Infrastruktur in den Emiraten fernhalten.
Der Außenminister der Emirate Abdullah bin Sajed al-Nahjan verurteilte den Angriff. Der "sündhafte" Anschlag auf zivile Orte und Einrichtungen werde nicht ungestraft bleiben. Die Militärkoalition, die im Jemen gegen die Huthis kämpft, flog daraufhin Vergeltungsangriffe auf die jemenitische Hauptstadt Sanaa.
Auch die USA, Großbritannien und Frankreich verurteilten den Angriff. Die britische Außenministerin Liz Truss sprach auf Twitter von "Terrorangriffen". US-Sicherheitsberater Jake Sullivan sagte, die USA würden mit den Emiraten und anderen Verbündeten zusammenarbeiten, um die Huthis "zur Rechenschaft zu ziehen". Frankreichs Außenminister Jean-Yves Le Drian wertete den Angriff als Gefahr für "die Sicherheit der Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate und die regionale Stabilität".
UN-Generalsekretär António Guterres verurteilte den Angriff ebenfalls und rief alle Konfliktparteien zur Zurückhaltung auf. Kritik kam auch von Saudi-Arabien, Bahrain, Katar und der Organisation für Islamische Zusammenarbeit.
und auch: https://de.rt.com/der-nahe-osten/130058-nach-drohnenangriff-huthi-bewegung-schwere/
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Attacke auf Wüstenkapitalismus: Warum greifen Huthi-Kämpfer Abu Dhabi an?
Die Saudische Militärkoalition startete kürzlich erfolgreich eine Gegenoffensive auf die von den Huthi-Milizen kontrollierte Provinz Schabwa. Die frohe Stimmung wurde allerdings getrübt, als Huthi-Milizen einen Drohnenangriff auf Abu Dhabi in den Vereinigten Arabischen Emiraten durchführten. Die mögliche Verschärfung der Lage ist ein Schreckensszenario für die Emirate und die westlichen Investoren in Dubai und Abu Dhabi.
Die Drohnen wurden vermutlich vom Flughafen Sanaa aus gestartet. Die Ansarullah-Bewegung im Jemen teilte in einer Erklärung mit, dass sich der Angriff gegen "wichtige und sensible Standorte und Einrichtungen der Emirate" gerichtet habe. In der Vergangenheit hatten die Huthi-Kämpfer mehrfach Luftangriffe gegen Ölanlagen in Saudi-Arabien geflogen. Die Angriffe auf die Emirate, die weit entfernt vom Jemen liegen, markieren jedoch eine Trendwende in diesem Konflikt und machen deutlich, dass die Jemeniten in der Lage sind, die Verbündeten der Saudis auch aus der Ferne ins Visier zu nehmen. Als Reaktion flog Saudi-Arabien heftige Luftangriffe auf Sanaa und andere Städte im Jemen.
Das Aushängeschild der Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate ist zu einer riesigen Vergnügungsmetropole für westliche Urlauber geworden und das Land verkauft sich als Zentrum des hedonistischen Wüstenkapitalismus, in das westliche Konzerne investieren. Die Huthi-Milizen signalisierten mit dem Angriff auf die emiratische Hauptstadt, dass sich westliche Unternehmen im Fall einer Verschärfung der Lage zu ihrer eigenen Sicherheit in Zukunft von wichtiger Infrastruktur in den Emiraten fernhalten sollten. Diese Warnung ist ein Schreckensszenario für die Emirate und Investoren in Dubai und Abu Dhabi.
USA, Großbritannien und Frankreich sowie Israel verurteilten den Angriff auf Abu Dhabi. Die britische Außenministerin Liz Truss sprach auf Twitter von "Terrorangriffen", ohne die jüngsten Luftangriffe der saudischen Kriegskoalition auf zivile Strukturen in Sanaa zu erwähnen. Die Huthi-Milizen flogen eigentlich einen Luftangriff auf die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate, weil die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate, der wichtigste Verbündete Saudi-Arabiens, ihre Militärintervention im Jemen wieder verstärkt haben, obwohl der Golfstaat sich seit 2019 aus diesem Konflikt zurückgezogen hatte. Die Emirate mischen doch in letzter Zeit wieder militärisch mit. Die von den Emiraten unterstützte jemenitischen Kräfte im Südjemen nämlich, die Separatisten vom Südübergangsrat (STC), drängten kürzlich die Huthi in die Provinz Schabwa zurück, während sie für diese Offensive die Unterstützung der emiratischen Führung erhielten.
https://de.rt.com/der-nahe-osten/130102-attacke-auf-wustenkapitalismus-warum-greifen/
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Der Angriff der Huthis bedeutet eine neue Eskalationsstufe am Golf
Ein Anschlag der Islamisten in Abu Dhabi trifft die Arabischen Emirate ins Herz. Die vom Iran unterstützten Milizen setzen damit ein verheerendes Signal. Der von der Welt beinahe vergessene Krieg weitet sich aus. Das belegt auch die ungewöhnliche Reaktion der USA.
Die Attacken auf die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate (VAE) wurden mutmaßlich mit Kampfdrohnen ausgeführt, eine Spezialität der Huthi-Rebellen im Jemen, die vom Iran mit Waffen und Technologie versorgt werden. Sie erklärten, man habe den Emiraten „eine Lektion erteilen wollen“, damit diese sich aus dem Bürgerkrieg im Jemen zurückzögen.
Die Explosion ist eine laute Eskalation eines oft überhörten Krieges.
„Den Emiraten ging es immer darum, strategische Zugänge zum Horn von Afrika und dem Indischen Ozean zu sichern“, sagt Andreas Krieg, Nahost-Experte vom Londoner King’s College. „Sie wollen ein Dreh- und Angelpunkt in der Region sein, wenn es um maritime Infrastruktur geht und alle Schlüsselstellungen in der Region dominieren.“
Von den Emiraten gesponserte Gruppen gelang es, einen Vormarsch der Huthis bei der Stadt Marib aufzuhalten, der letzten Bastion der Regierung im Norden. Außerdem konnten sie die Rebellen aus der benachbarten Provinz Schabwa zurückzudrängen, die wegen ihrer Öl- und Gasvorkommen strategisch bedeutend ist.
Das dürfte das Motiv sein, warum die Huthis sich nun mit einem Angriff auf Abu Dhabi brüsten. Die islamistischen Rebellen demonstrieren damit, dass sie ihre Gegner selbst ins Visier nehmen können, nicht nur deren Stellvertreter. Wie weit fortgeschritten ihre von Teheran gelieferte Drohnentechnologie ist, zeigten sie in der Vergangenheit mit empfindlichen Attacken auf das angrenzende Saudi-Arabien.
Der Angriff auf die Emirate hingegen ist der erste große auf den weiter entfernten Golfstaat. Sie trifft die reichen Emirate empfindlich, präsentieren diese sich doch als sichere Touristendestination im Nahen Osten und als Steueroase für Expats aus aller Welt.
Gleichzeitig stellt der Angriff eine Chance dar: „Die VAE versuchen sich als defensiv und friedensliebend zu präsentieren“, sagt Nahost-Experte Krieg. Mit dem Anschlag könnten sie das Narrativ des Jemen-Krieges verändern.
. Die Welt hat sich abgewandt von dem scheinbar endlosen Konflikt mit seiner komplizierten Gemengelage aus lokalen und regionalen Kräften.
Mit der jüngsten Attacke bekommt er wieder mehr Aufmerksamkeit. Die Emirate erhalten weltweit Unterstützungsbekundungen, selbst von der sonst so kritischen Biden-Regierung. Offenbar ist die Geduld mit den Huthis erschöpft, welche Gesprächsangebote ausschlagen und lokales Personal der USA festgenommen haben.
Es scheint sich international die Überzeugung durchzusetzen, dass die Huthis nur mit militärischem Druck zu Verhandlungen gezwungen werden können.
Auf eine wie auch immer geartete Verhandlungslösung müssten sich vor allem die Golfstaaten und der Iran einigen, die seit einigen Monaten wieder Gespräche über den Jemen führen. Doch nicht einmal die Koalition selbst ist sich einig, was aus dem Jemen werden soll – von Christine Kensche
https://www.welt.de/politik/ausland/article236344819/Buergerkrieg-im-Jemen-Das-steckt-hinter-dem-Angriff-der-Huthis.html = https://www.theaktuellenews.com/nachrichten/buergerkrieg-im-jemen-das-steckt-hinter-dem-houthis-angriff/
(B K P)
Pro-iranische Houthis wollen neue Landkarte des Nahen Ostens
Die Attacke war als solche präzedenzlos, doch sie galt nicht als präzezendenzlos in der Region. Die Attacke der pro-iranischenHouthis-Rebellen zielte offen darauf ab, die regionale «Gleichung» zu verändern, sagten die Houthis am Mointag. Das betonten auch die iranischen Medien. Das bedeutet jetzt, dass die Houthis jetzt behaupten, dass sie den Golfstaat angreifen können und über ihre Attacken gegen Saudi-Arabien hinausgehen können. Möglicherweise sind die VAE verwundbarer wegen ihrer grossen ausländischen Bevölkerung und der Tatsache, dass sie ein beliebtes Touristenziel sind. Für die Houthis war die Attacke ein Teil einer «legalen und legitimen Antwort, die gegeben wurde als Teil der Antwort auf die kontinuierliche Aktivität der VAE und die kontinuierliche Antwort auf die Attacken der VAE gegen das jemenitische Volk. Die Houthis wollen, dass die VAE ihre Unterstützung von den Gruppen in Jemen abziehen.
https://www.tachles.ch/artikel/news/pro-iranische-houthis-wollen-neue-landkarte-des-nahen-ostens
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Die Emirate ändern ihre Strategie
Im Jemen gingen die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate einer Konfrontation mit den Huthi zuletzt aus dem Weg. Doch jetzt mischen sie wieder im Konflikt mit.
Die VAE-treuen Truppen gingen einer Konfrontation mit dem Huthis lange aus dem Weg, doch das hat sich in jüngster Zeit geändert. Die von den Emiraten unterstützte „Brigade der Riesen“ aus dem Süden Jemens drängte die Huthis vorige Woche aus der ölreichen Gegend um die Stadt Shabwa ab. Den „Riesen“ gehören laut Medienberichten vor allem radikal-sunnitische Kämpfer an, während die Huthis zu den schiitischen Muslimen zählen. Auch an Kämpfen um die Öl-Provinz Marib Anfang Januar waren die „Riesen“ beteiligt.
Für die Huthis waren die Angriffe der VAE-„Riesen“ empfindliche Rückschläge, denn die Bodenschätze von Shabwa und Marib würden einen Huthi-Staat im Jemen wirtschaftlich lebensfähig machen. Das erklärt, warum die Rebellen ihre Zurückhaltung gegenüber den Emiraten aufgegeben haben. Raketen- und Drohnentechnik aus dem Iran ermöglichen es den Huthis, auch weit jenseits der jemenitischen Landesgrenzen zuzuschlagen. Die US-Denkfabrik Washington-Institut für Nahostpolitik kommentierte, die Angriffe auf Abu Dhabi hätten eine neue Front im Jemen-Krieg eröffnet.
Ein Ende des Konflikts rückt damit in weite Ferne.
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Drohnenangriff auf Abu Dhabi: Eine neue Eskalationsstufe im Jemen-Konflikt
Die Waffen der Huthis mit größerer Reichweite wurden laut Experten entweder in Iran hergestellt oder basieren auf iranischer Technologie.
Der Angriff auf die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate, die weit entfernt vom Jemen liegen, markiert eine Trendwende in Jemen-Konflikt und macht deutlich, dass die Jemeniten in der Lage sind, die Verbündeten der Saudis auch aus der Ferne ins Visier zu nehmen.
Eine vorläufige Untersuchung der Emirate bestätigte inzwischen, dass die Huthis bei dem Angriff auf eine Ölanlage Drohnen, Marschflugkörper und ballistische Raketen eingesetzt hatten – Waffen, die die Ansarullah-Bewegung bereits mehrfach gegen Ziele tief im saudischen Territorium anwendete.
Satellitenaufnahmen zeigen das Ausmaß des Huthi-Angriffs auf die Ölanlage.
Die Emirate forderten am Dienstag nach dem Angriff eine Sondersitzung des Sicherheitsrats. Es bleibt weiterhin unklar, ob bei dem Angriff auf Abu Dhabi das Luftabwehrsystem überhaupt zum Einsatz kam.
Jene Waffen mit größerer Reichweite seien jedoch entweder in Iran hergestellt worden oder basieren auf iranischer Technologie, sagten Militär-Experten. "Die Iraner stellten den Huthis das Fachwissen hinter solchen Angriffen zur Verfügung", erklärte Christopher Long, Geheimdienstmanager bei der in Dubai ansässigen Sicherheitsfirma Neptune P2P Group.
Die Beziehungen zwischen Iran und den Vereinigten Arabischen Emiraten verschlechterten sich in letzter Zeit, nachdem die VAE ihre Beziehungen zu Israel normalisiert hatten.
Die Huthi-Milizen flogen im Grunde einen Luftangriff auf die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate, weil diese ihre Militärintervention im Jemen wieder verstärkt haben, obwohl der Golfstaat sich seit 2019 aus diesem Konflikt zurückgezogen hatte. Die Emirate mischten in letzter Zeit wieder militärisch im Jemen mit.
https://de.rt.com/der-nahe-osten/130155-drohnenangriff-auf-abu-dhabi-neue/
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Vereinigte Arabische Emirate: Im Visier der Huthi
Dass die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate, die ihre Truppen bereits 2019 aus dem Militärbündnis in Jemen weitgehend zurückzogen hatten, nun zur Zielscheibe der Huthi wurden, hat seine Gründe. Zwar scheute Abu Dhabi inzwischen die direkte Konfrontation mit der schiitischen Miliz, auch nachdem diese immer wieder die Verwundbarkeit des kleinen Emirats betonte.
Andererseits lenkte das Golfemirat auch nicht wirklich ein, sondern finanzierte weiterhin Milizen in Südjemen.
Als dann vor einigen Tagen die von Abu Dhabi unterstützten Milizen die ölreiche Provinz Schabwa einnahmen, war das ein herber Schlag für die Huthi, für den sie dem Emirat wohl einen Denkzettel verpassen wollten. Auch dass VAE-Milizen den Koalitionstruppen zu Hilfe eilten, um die Stadt Marib vor dem Vormarsch der Huthi zu bewahren, dürfte ein Grund für den Angriff auf Abu Dhabi sein.
Eigentlich versuchte sich Abu Dhabi in den vergangenen Jahren an einer weniger interventionistischen und pragmatischeren Außenpolitik, was sich unter anderem an der Annäherung an Iran zeigte. Doch nun wird die Unterstützung jemenitischer Milizen für das kleine Golfemirat zunehmend zum Sicherheitsproblem.
(B K P)
Der Jemen-Konflikt und das liebe Öl
Der Schaden hielt sich zwar in Grenzen, aber die Angriffe auf VAE-Tanklaster der vom Iran unterstützten Huthi-Rebellen im Jemen haben deutlich gemacht, wie anfällig einige der größten Ölproduzenten der Welt für Angriffe bewaffneter Gruppen sind, die sich relativ rudimentärer Drohnen- und Raketentechnologien bedienen.
Da die Bemühungen um eine Wiederherstellung des Atomabkommens mit dem Iran an einem kritischen Punkt angelangt sind, kommt die durch den Jemen-Konflikt ausgelöste Instabilität in der wichtigen Ölregion zu einem denkbar ungünstigen Zeitpunkt.
https://www.godmode-trader.de/artikel/der-jemen-konflikt-und-das-liebe-oel,10447495
(B K P)
Die Huthi kennen seit Jahren nichts als Krieg, ein Frieden mit den Saudi ist für sie keine Option
Wieder einmal haben die jemenitischen Milizionäre die Golfmonarchien mit Drohnen angegriffen. Dank ihrer Kampfkraft und fremder Hilfe halten die Huthi den Armeen Saudiarabiens und der Emirate seit Jahren stand. Jetzt droht eine neue Eskalation [im Abo]
(B K P)
Warum der Stellvertreterkrieg im Jemen wieder aufflammt
Ausgelöst wurde die Eskalation durch militärische Rückschläge für die Huthis, deren Vormarsch durch VAE-treue Truppen gestoppt worden war. Damit sinken die Hoffnungen auf ein Ende des Krieges durch Gespräche zwischen Saudiarabien und dem Iran [im Abo]
https://www.diepresse.com/6087361/warum-der-stellvertreterkrieg-im-jemen-wieder-aufflammt
(* A K)
Satellitenaufnahmen zeigen Ausmass von Attacke in Abu Dhabi
Satellitenaufnahmen haben das Ausmass der tödlichen Attacke auf eine Ölanlage in der Hauptstadt der Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate gezeigt. Die Nachrichtenagentur AP gelangte am Dienstag in den Besitz der Aufnahmen der Planet Labs PBC, auf denen zu sehen war, wie über einem Treibstofflager der staatlichen Ölgesellschaft Adnoc Rauch aufstieg. Auf einem weiteren, wenig später aufgenommenen Bild, schienen Brandspuren und weisser, feuerunterdrückender Schaum zu sehen zu sein, der zum Löschen eingesetzt wurde. (fotos9
https://www.20min.ch/story/satellitenaufnahmen-zeigen-ausmass-von-attacke-in-abu-dhabi-579450823439
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Ansarullah: VAE sind an Schauplatz des Jemenkrieges zurückgekehrt
Laut der Ansarullah-Bewegung sind die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate, VAE, während eskalierender Spannungen an den Schauplatz des Jemen-Krieges zurückgekehrt.
„Saudi-Arabien hat die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate dazu gedrängt, in den südjemenitischen Provinzen einzugreifen, nachdem es selbst gegen die jemenitischen Streitkräfte verloren hat", sagte Muhammad al-Bakhiti, ein Mitglied des Politbüros der Ansarullah-Bewegung, am Montagabend gegenüber dem libanesischen Sender Al-Mayadeen.
Außerdem sagte das Mitglied des Politbüros der Ansarullah-Bewegung, Tel Aviv habe viel Druck auf die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate ausgeübt, damit die Spannungen im Jemen eskalieren.
In Bezug auf die Angriffe am Montag auf die VAE ergänzte er: „Diese Operation ist nur der Beginn eines Angriffs tief im Inneren der VAE, und wir warnen Abu Dhabi vor einer Fortsetzung der Aggression.“
Al-Bakhiti fügte hinzu: „Die VAE müssen den Jemen verlassen. Wir haben ihnen die Gelegenheit gegeben, sich schrittweise vom jemenitischen Territorium zurückzuziehen.“
Weiter hob er hervor: „Die 'Operation Sturm' im Jemen ist eine Botschaft an alle Angreiferländer und alle Länder, die beabsichtigen, sich an diesem Krieg zu beteiligen.“
„Alle kritischen Positionen in den Vereinigten Arabischen Emiraten sind für die jemenitischen Raketen und die Luftwaffe zugänglich", betonte er und ergänzte: „Unsere Angriffsreichweite wird in den Vereinigten Arabischen Emiraten zunehmen, und wir werden unsere militärischen Ziele erweitern."
(A K P)
Emirate fordern nach Huthi-Angriff Sitzung des UNO-Sicherheitsrates
Nach dem Angriff der jemenitischen Huthi-Rebellen auf die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate hat der Golfstaat eine Dringlichkeitssitzung des UNO-Sicherherheitsrates gefordert. Der Sicherheitsrat müsse «mit einer Stimme sprechen» und sich der «entschiedenen und unmissverständlichen Verurteilung dieser Terroranschläge anschliessen, die unter völliger Missachtung des Völkerrechts verübt wurden», verlangte die UNO-Botschafterin der Emirate, Lana Nusseibeh, am Dienstag. Das Datum und die Modalitäten des geforderten Treffens müssen noch festgelegt werden.
Mit dem Angriff auf Abu Dhabi hätten die Huthis eine «neue Etappe» ihres Versuchs begonnen, «Terrorismus und Chaos in unserer Region zu verbreiten», fügten die Emirate hinzu. Die Rebellen gefährdeten Frieden und Sicherheit, «indem sie die Fähigkeiten nutzen, die sie sich unter Missachtung von UNO-Sanktionen illegal angeeignet haben».
https://www.derbund.ch/emirate-fordern-nach-huthi-angriff-sitzung-des-uno-sicherheitsrates-198337996674 = https://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/emirate-fordern-nach-huthi-angriff-sitzung-des-uno-sicherheitsrates-198337996674 = https://vnexplorer.net/emirate-fordern-nach-huthi-angriff-sitzung-des-uno-sicherheitsrates-ew20224218222.html
Mein Kommentar: Albern angesichts der Luftangriffe der Saudi-Koalition.
(A E K)
Ölpreis für Sorte Brent auf höchstem Stand seit 2014
https://www.stern.de/news/oelpreis-fuer-sorte-brent-auf-hoechstem-stand-seit-2014-31546912.html
und
(A E K)
Audio: Jemen heizt Ölpreis an - so hoch wie seit 2014 nicht
https://www.tagesschau.de/multimedia/audio/audio-125159.html
cp1b Am wichtigsten: Drohnenangriff der Huthis auf Emirate: Englisch / Most important: Houthi drone attack against UAE: English
(** A K P)
Latest updates: Houthi rebels warn of further attacks on UAE
(19:59 GMT) France says Abu Dhabi attack a ‘threat’ to ‘stability’
France strongly condemned the deadly drone attack in Abu Dhabi claimed by Yemen’s Houthis.
“These attacks threaten the security of the United Arab Emirates and regional stability,” Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said, expressing France’s “backing” for the UAE.
(19:00 GMT) Yemen’s Houthis warn of further attacks on UAE
Yemen’s Houthi rebel group warned it could target more facilities in the UAE after. Monday’s attack, it said, involved five ballistic missiles and several drones.
The group’s military spokesman Yahya Saree said the missiles and drones had been launched at Abu Dhabi and Dubai airports, an oil refinery in Abu Dhabi’s Musaffah area and other “sensitive” targets in the UAE.
“The armed forces carried out … a successful military operation within the framework of an operation named Yemeni Hurricane,” Saree said in a statement broadcast on the group’s Al Masirah TV channel.
(16:43 GMT) UAE condemns ‘heinous Houthi attack’
The UAE condemned a “heinous” attack it blamed on the Houthi rebels.
“UAE authorities … are dealing … with the heinous Houthi attack on some civilian installations in Abu Dhabi,” tweeted presidential adviser Anwar Gargash, referring to the Yemeni rebels.
“The tampering of the region’s security by terrorist militias is too weak to affect the stability and safety in which we live,” he added.
(16:03 GMT) Houthis ‘capable of carrying out this type of attack’: Analyst
Principal MENA analyst at risk intelligence company Verisk Maplecroft, Torbjorn Soltvedt, said the Houthis have shown in the past that they are “very much capable of carrying out this type of attack”.
The range of the attack “fit with previous similar attacks in Saudi Arabia”, Soltvedt told Al Jazeera.
In previous incidents, they (UAE) have been very measured in their response to such attacks, he said. A big part of that is the “very tense security environment that we have in the region”.
“One of the big questions is … whether or not there’s been any type of direct or indirect Iranian involvement in this attack,” Soltvedt added.
(15:47 GMT) Etihad Airways says flights were briefly disrupted
(14:34 GMT) Houthis ‘frustrated’ over Saudi-UAE influence in Yemen: Al Jazeera correspondent
Al Jazeera’s Hashem Ahelbarra, who has reported extensively on Yemen, said that the attack comes against the backdrop of a “massive military operation which is under way now in Yemen”.
“The Saudi-led coalition said yesterday that it has been intensifying their attacks in different areas around Marib, and also major Houthi strongholds,” Ahelbarra said.
Meanwhile, the Houthis have been “frustrated” about what they say is growing Saudi-Emirati influence in Yemen, he said.
The attack on the UAE was carried out as a “show of defiance to the Saudis and the Emiratis”, Ahelbarra added.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/1/17/suspected-houthi-drone-attacks-abu-dhabi-uae-liveblog
Folm by Aljazeera: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8c6pQ_0b6ho
(* A K pH)
Accurate information about the targeted industrial area in the #UAE International agencies circulated, on Monday, important information about the main industrial zone in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi, which was subjected to air strikes. The city of "Mussafah", the most important economic region in the Emirates, includes a large number of industrial companies,
It also includes the "Musaffah Port". Mussafah includes about five industrial and vital areas, which are, respectively (photo: aerial view of fire after attack)
https://twitter.com/GhalebM0nz1i7/status/1483898738376646657
(* A K)
Yemen’s Houthis say they carried out attacks on UAE with missiles, drones
Yemen’s Houthi rebel group said Monday that it targeted sensitive locations in the United Arab Emirates.
Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said the operation was codenamed "Yemeni Hurricane" and added that it came in response to the "US-Saudi-Emirati escalation" in Yemen.
Saree added that his group's operation targeted the airports of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, the oil refinery in the Mussafah area in Abu Dhabi and “a number of important and sensitive Emirati sites and facilities” using five ballistic and winged missiles and a large number of drones.
He also called on foreign companies, nationals and residents to avoid important sites and facilities in the UAE for their safety as he warned of more attacks.
and also https://shafaq.com/en/World/Yemen-s-Houthis-warn-of-further-attacks-on-UAE
(** A K pH)
[Sanaa gov.] Army carries out "Yemen Hurricane" in UAE territories
The armed forces announced on Monday the implementation of the military operation "Yemen Hurricane" inside the Emirati enemy territories, in response to the escalation of the US-Saudi-Emirati aggression.
In a statement, Armed Forces Spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Sarie, said that the armed forces carried out a successful military operation targeting the Dubai and Abu Dhabi airports, al-Musaffah oil refinery in Abu Dhabi, and a number of important and sensitive Emirati sites and facilities.
He pointed out that the military operation was carried out with 5 winged and ballistic missiles and a large number of drones, stressing that the operation successfully achieved its goals.
"The armed forces while implementing today what they promised, renew their warning to the countries of aggression that they would receive more painful blows," Brigadier-General Sarie said.
He also warned foreign companies, citizens and residents of the UAE enemy state to stay away from the vital sites and facilities for their own safety.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3172265.htm
and also https://hodhodyemennews.net/en_US/2022/01/17/yemeni-armed-forces-officially-claim-strikes-against-uae-dubbed-operation-yemen-hurricane/ = https://en.ypagency.net/250615/
https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/469197/Yemen-takes-on-the-UAE
and
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[Sanaa gov.] Military spokesman uncovers type of weapons used in ‘Hurricane Yemen’ operation
Yemeni Armed Forces Spokesman Brigadier General Yehya Sarie has revealed more details about the type of weapons that the army forces used in the Operation “Hurricane Yemen”, which targeting vital and important sites inside the territory of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
In a brief statement, Brigadier General Yehya Sarie said that the missiles used in Operation “Hurricane Yemen” were four Quds-2-type winged missiles targeted the oil refinery of al-Musaffah, and Abu Dhabi Airport, while Zolfiqar-type ballistic missile was used in the operation that targeted Dubai Airport.
“The Propelled Air Force targeted several sensitive and important targets, in addition to the previous targets, using Sammad-3 drones,” he added.
https://en.ypagency.net/250644/ = https://hodhodyemennews.net/en_US/2022/01/18/yemen-reveals-details-on-missiles-and-drones-used-in-operation-against-uae/
and also https://www.saba.ye/en/news3172307.htm
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UAE: Three killed in suspected Houthi attack on Abu Dhabi
One Pakistani and two Indians have died after the explosion of tanker trucks, as Yemen's Houthi movement claim attack on Abu Dhabi
One Pakistani national and two Indians were killed on Monday after an explosion of several petroleum tanker trucks in Abu Dhabi, in what the United Arab Emirates says is a suspected drone attack, the state news agency WAM reported.
Yemen’s rebel Houthi movement claimed an attack on the UAE shortly after the Gulf state reported the incidents. They did not however confirm the type or location of attacks.
Later on Monday, the UAE foreign ministry said it "reserves the right to respond" to the Houthi "terrorist" attacks.
“This terrorist militia continues its crimes unchecked in an effort to spread terrorism and chaos in the region in order to achieve its illegal aims and objectives,” a statement by the ministry said.
WAM cited Abu Dhabi police as saying that a fire broke out on Monday morning, which led to three fuel tanker trucks exploding in the industrial Musaffah area near storage facilities of the state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC).
Meanwhile, a minor fire was also reported at a new construction site at Abu Dhabi International Airport, a police statement said. It said no significant damages resulted from the two incidents.
Social media footage, which Middle East Eye could not independently verify, showed a large plume of smoke rising from what was purportedly the Musaffah area Monday morning.
“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 competent authorities were sent and the fire is being dealt with,” the police said.
“The competent authorities have launched an extensive investigation into the cause of the fire and the circumstances surrounding it.”
Meanwhile, the military spokesman of the Iran-aligned Houthis was quoted by the Al-Masirah news channel as saying that the group had launched a military operation in "the heart of the UAE" and would announce details in the coming hours.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/uae-abu-dhabi-attacks-yemen-houthi-rebels-claim
Films: https://twitter.com/AuroraIntel/status/1483022007797272577 = https://twitter.com/AlexInAir/status/1483036581153886209
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlGr3rDXiJk
https://twitter.com/GeoPolUpdate/status/1483041153096495109 = https://twitter.com/TrulyMonica/status/1483060829083762688
https://twitter.com/iamqarisiddique/status/1483054930516713477
Photos, satellite image: https://twitter.com/AuroraIntel/status/1483026386994573316
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Suspected drone attack kills three in UAE after Houthis announce ‘military operation’
A suspected drone attack killed three people in a fuel tank blast in Abu Dhabi on Monday, officials said. Hours after Yemen's Houthi rebels announced a "military operation" in the United Arab Emirates, the group claimed responsibility for the attack and warned it could target more facilities.
Two Indians and a Pakistani died as three petrol tanks exploded near the storage facility of oil giant ADNOC, while a fire also ignited in a construction area at Abu Dhabi airport.
Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels announced a "military operation" in the UAE, a partner in Yemen's pro-government coalition, in what would be a major escalation in the seven-year war.
The Iran-aligned group claimed responsibility hours later, saying it had targeted "a number of important and sensitive Emirati sites and installations".
"The armed forces carried out... a successful military operation within the framework of an operation named Yemeni Hurricane," Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a statement broadcast on the rebels' Al-Masirah TV channel.
Police said "small flying objects" were found at both places, suggesting the sort of deliberate attack that is almost unheard of in the wealthy UAE, a renowned safe haven in the volatile Middle East.
"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," police said in a statement, adding that the incidents were under investigation.
The United Arab Emirates threatened reprisals against the Houthi rebels, warning "the UAE reserves the right to respond to these terrorist attacks and this heinous criminal escalation," a foreign ministry statement said, quoted by the official WAM news agency.
Neighbouring Saudi Arabia and Gulf ally Bahrain both labelled the blasts a "terrorist" attack.
According to Abdul Ilah Hajar, adviser to the president of the Houthis' Supreme Political Council in Sanaa, it was a warning shot from the rebels. "We sent them a clear warning message by hitting places that are not of great strategic importance," he told AFP. "But it is a warning if the UAE continues its hostility to Yemen, it will not be able in the future to withstand the coming strikes."
and also https://www.rt.com/news/546273-uae-drone-attack-houthis/
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/abu-dhabi-drone-attack-1.6317555
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U.S. condemns deadly Houthi attack on Abu Dhabi; UAE reserves right to respond
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group attacked the United Arab Emirates in what it said was an operation using missiles and drones, setting off explosions in fuel trucks that killed three people and causing a fire near the airport of Abu Dhabi, capital of the region’s commercial and tourism hub.
The strike on a leading Gulf Arab ally of the United States takes the war between the Houthi group and a Saudi-led coalition to a new level, and may hinder efforts to contain regional tensions as Washington and Tehran work to rescue a nuclear deal.
“The UAE condemns this terrorist attack by the Houthi militia on areas and civilian facilities on Emirati soil…(It) will not go unpunished,” its foreign ministry said. “The UAE reserves the right to respond to these terrorist attacks and criminal escalation.”
“With (nuclear) negotiators running out of time, the risk of a deterioration in the region’s security climate is rising,” said Torbjorn Soltvedt, principal MENA analyst at risk intelligence company Verisk Maplecroft.
Abu Dhabi police said three people were killed and six wounded when three fuel tanker trucks exploded in the industrial Musaffah area near storage facilities of oil firm ADNOC. State media said those killed were two Indians and a Pakistani.
Police said initial investigations found parts of small planes that could possibly be drones at the sites in Musaffah and Abu Dhabi airport, but they made no mention of missiles.
ADNOC said an incident at its Mussafah Fuel Depot at 10 a.m. resulted in a fire. Police closed the road leading to the area, where unverified footage on social media had shown thick smoke.
“ADNOC is deeply saddened to confirm that three colleagues have died. A further six colleagues were injured and received immediate specialist medical care,” it said.
ADNOC added that it had activated business continuity plans to ensure an uninterrupted supply of products to local and international customers.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-emirates-security-yemen/u-s-condemns-deadly-houthi-attack-on-abu-dhabi-uae-reserves-right-to-respond-idUSKBN2JR0NX = https://www.metro.us/u-s-condemns-deadly-houthi/
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Three dead as Yemeni rebels hit Abu Dhabi in 'warning' shot
Yemen's Huthi rebels claimed attacks in Abu Dhabi that triggered a fuel tank blast killing three people Monday, and warned civilians and foreign firms in the UAE to avoid "vital installations".
Abdul Ilah Hajar, adviser to the president of the Huthis' Supreme Political Council in Sanaa, said the military operation in Abu Dhabi was a warning shot.
"We sent them a clear warning message by hitting places that are not of great strategic importance," he told AFP.
"But it is a warning if the UAE continues its hostility to Yemen, it will not be able in the future to withstand the coming strikes."
The US vowed to hold the Huthis "accountable", while Britain, France and Gulf powers all likewise strongly condemned the attacks in the UAE.
Police said "small flying objects, possibly belonging to drones" were found at both sites.
"We condemn the Huthi terrorist militia's targeting of civilian areas and facilities on UAE soil today... this sinful targeting will not go unpunished," UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan said in a statement, as his ministry described the attack as a "heinous criminal escalation".
Huthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said that the insurgents had "carried out... a successful military operation" against "important and sensitive Emirati sites" using both ballistic missiles and drones.
The Huthis warned civilians and foreign firms in the UAE to avoid "vital installations".
Western condemnation
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan pledged that Washington will "work with the UAE and international partners to hold" the Huthis accountable, while
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said the rebels' move threatened the security of both the UAE and the wider region.
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said she condemned "in the strongest terms" the Huthis' "terrorist attacks" -- terminology also used in condemnations by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
Israel said it also stood with the UAE.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/3-dead-in-uae-suspected-drone-attack-huthis-announce-campaign/ar-AASRnBV?li=BBnbfcL = https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-10410469/3-dead-UAE-suspected-drone-attack-Huthis-announce-campaign.html = https://www.ibtimes.com/three-dead-yemeni-rebels-hit-abu-dhabi-warning-shot-3377181
My comment: Western condemnation is hypocrisy. The West always sides with the Saudi-UAE side and kept silent on Saudi / UAE air raids against civilian targets in Yemen.
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UAE receives ‘punitive message’ from Yemen
Spokesman for [Sanaa gov.] Yemen’s armed forces General Yahya Saree announced that the Yemeni forces launched a “qualitative military operation deep inside the UAE.”
Al-Mayadeen reported that the Yemeni army and popular committees attacked the UAE with 20 drones and 10 ballistic missiles.
The Yemeni attack came after the UAE played a pivotal role in deploying southern Yemeni forces to the Shabwa governorate. It also stepped up its military activities in support of Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen, something that enraged the Sanaa forces who recently announced that they had seized UAE-flagged military ship off the coast of Hudaydah port in western Yemen. The seized ship, named RWABEE, was carrying military equipment, according to footage of the ship provided by Sanaa.
The UAE has sought to distance itself from the war in Yemen. But Yemenis see a direct Emirati role in the developments in Shabwa and elsewhere in Yemen.
Mohammad Abdulsalam, the official spokesman of Ansarallah and head of the Sanaa delegation for peace negotiations, hinted that the UAE’s hand will be cut off if it continued to interfere in Yemen.
“A small state in the region desperate to serve America and Israel had claimed that it distanced itself from Yemen, but it has recently been exposed, contrary to what it claimed,” Abdulsalam said in his channel on Telegram messaging app.
He said if the UAE refuses to stop tampering in Yemen, its hands will be cut off.
Yemeni officials have signaled that Monday’s military attack against the UAE was a punitive message to it.
“The punitive message that was supposed to reach the Emirates and its dwarves has reached,” Dhaif Allah Alshami, the information minister of Yemen, said on Twitter.
The message seems to have been sent after the UAE paid no attention to diplomatic moves in the past few weeks.
https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/469181/UAE-receives-punitive-message-from-Yemen
and also https://debriefer.net/en/news-28469.html
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Satellite photos show aftermath of Abu Dhabi oil site attack
Satellite photos obtained by The Associated Press on Tuesday appear to show the aftermath of a fatal attack on an oil facility in the capital of the United Arab Emirates claimed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
The images by Planet Labs PBC analyzed by the AP show smoke rising over an Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. fuel depot in the Mussafah neighborhood of Abu Dhabi on Monday. Another image taken shortly after appears to show scorch marks and white fire-suppressing foam deployed on the grounds of the depot. (photos)
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UAE Calls for UN Security Council Meeting on Houthi Terrorist Attacks in Abu Dhabi
The United Arab Emirates submitted a letter to the United Nations Security Council, requesting a meeting to address the Houthi terrorist attacks in Abu Dhabi.
According to WAM, the letter condemns the Houthis’ targeting of civilians and civilian objects in flagrant violation of international law. It calls on the Council to unequivocally condemn the Houthi attacks with one voice.
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2322122
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After attack on Abu Dhabi, UAE tells UNSC Yemen’s Houthis spread terrorism in region
The UAE wrote a letter to the UN Security Council on Tuesday condemning Yemen’s Houthi attack on Abu Dhabi which killed three people and said the Iran-backed militia “spreads terrorism” in the region.
“The UAE strongly condemns the Houthis’ targeting of civilians and civilian objects in flagrant violation of international law,” said Lana Nusseibeh, Permanent Representative of the UAE to the UN.
“This illegal and alarming escalation is a further step in the Houthis’ efforts to spread terrorism and chaos in our region. It is another attempt by the Houthis, using the capabilities they have unlawfully acquired in defiance of UN sanctions, to threaten peace and security,” she added.
My comment: Ridiculous when taking into account Saudi-UAE air raids in Yemen since 2015 and the start of this war on March 25, 2015.
and
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UAE calls for a meeting of UN security council to condemn recent Yemen's Houthi attack
The United Arab Emirates called for a meeting of UN security council to condemn a recent attack by Yemen's Houthi on Abu Dhabi, capital of the region's commercial and tourism hub, state news agency WAM reported on Tuesday.
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UAE finds Houthi attack on Abu Dhabi used ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, drones: report
Yemen's Houthi rebels used a mix of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones in Monday's lethal attack on an oil site in Abu Dhabi, a preliminary Emirati investigation has reportedly found.
The same weapons were used in separate attacks the Houthis conducted on Saudi Arabia on Monday night, the Wall Street Journal reported people who had been briefed on the Emirati investigation as saying.
https://english.alaraby.co.uk/news/uae-finds-houthis-used-missiles-drones-abu-dhabi-wsj
and
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UAE envoy: Yemen’s Houthis used missiles in Abu Dhabi attack
Yemen’s Houthi rebels used cruise and ballistic missiles, in addition to drones, in an attack on Abu Dhabi this week that killed three people and set off fires at a fuel depot and an international airport, the Emirati ambassador to the United States said Wednesday.
The remarks by Ambassador Yousef Al-Otaiba marked an official acknowledgement that missiles — and not just drones — were used in Monday’s attack, claimed by the Iran-backed Houthis.
“Several attacks — a combination of cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and drones — targeted civilian sites” in the United Arab Emirates, Al-Otaiba said.
“Several were intercepted, a few of them didn’t and three innocent civilians unfortunately lost their lives,” he added in remarks at a virtual event hosted by the Jewish Institute for National Security of America. The event was held to discuss U.S. policies and Israeli relations with the UAE and Bahrain.
(B E K)
Deadly UAE drone strikes raise risk in key oil-producing region
The attack underscores the threat against regional civilian and energy infrastructure, said Torbjorn Soltvedt, an analyst at risk-intelligence company Verisk Maplecroft.
It “will concern oil-market watchers, who are also keeping a close eye on the trajectory of ongoing nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran,” he said. “With negotiators running out of time, the risk of a deterioration in the region’s security climate is rising.”
https://worldoil.com/news/2022/1/18/deadly-uae-drone-strikes-raise-risk-in-key-oil-producing-region/ = https://www.blueprint.ng/deadly-uae-drone-strikes-raise-risk-in-key-oil-producing-region/
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Brent climbs to more than 7-year high on Mideast tensions, tight supply
Oil prices rose more than $1 on Tuesday to a more than seven-year high on worries about possible supply disruptions after Yemen's Houthi group attacked the United Arab Emirates, escalating hostilities between the Iran-aligned group and a Saudi Arabian-led coalition.
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Houthi Strikes on UAE Open Another Front in Yemen War
As Emirati-aligned forces gain ground on the battlefield in Yemen, the Houthis are trying to raise the costs of Abu Dhabi’s involvement.
Given the Houthis’ tit-for-tat targeting strategy and their warnings last week of an attack on the UAE, the incident is not a surprise—but it is an escalation. In announcing responsibility for the strikes, the group said that it targeted various locations in the UAE (including the Abu Dhabi and Dubai airports) with many missiles and drones. It also framed the incident as a response to recent military activity by UAE-aligned groups in key Yemeni conflict zones.
Since the UAE withdrew from Yemen in 2019, it has retained only a small counterterrorism contingent on the ground and claimed not to be involved in anti-Houthi operations. In recent weeks, however, U.S. officials and various local fighters have reported that Abu Dhabi is once again ramping up its air operations and support to anti-Houthi groups such as the Giants Brigades, which it helped found and initially fund. After playing an instrumental role in liberating the west coast from the Houthis earlier in the war, the Giants Brigades recently redeployed to Shabwa as part of what appears to be a joint Emirati-Saudi strategy. Their success on the battlefield seemingly provoked the Houthis, who chose to retaliate directly against the UAE on its territory, likely in a bid to drive the Emiratis back out of the military fight.
Implications for UAE Policy on Yemen and Iran
The UAE prides itself on being a safe and economically vibrant place to live in an otherwise volatile region. As such, it has generally shown zero tolerance for externally motivated attacks against expatriates, who make up some 90 percent of the population and are central to the economy.
In the shorter term, the key question is how the UAE will respond in Yemen. Emirati leaders were likely aware that reentering the fray might provoke the Houthis, and they no doubt heard last week’s public threats of retaliation. So will Abu Dhabi continue supporting its allies in Yemen to push forcibly against the Houthis, perhaps even doubling down in a bid to fully retake Marib? Or will it back down in line with its more recent, less interventionist foreign policy?
The UAE’s relationship with Iran may be tested as well. The two countries have held high-level negotiations in the past few months with the goal of easing regional tensions. Now observers are wondering whether Tehran had any role in or knowledge of this attack. On one hand, the Houthis often make decisions independent of Iran despite the country’s ample support for the group.
Regardless, Tehran’s close relationship with a group that is now actively targeting the UAE will likely become central to the Iranian-Emirati talks if they continue.
U.S. Considerations
American officials are no doubt studying the flight path of the suspected drones and missiles closely. Just a few miles south of Musaffah sits al-Dhafra Air Base, where U.S. troops and equipment are deployed. Washington will want to know where the drones and missiles originated, how far they flew, and whether any air defense systems were engaged.
Whatever the case, U.S. officials will be particularly concerned about the attack on Abu Dhabi’s airport—an international travel hub where Americans often fly or transfer.
Meanwhile, the ramping up of coalition military activity in Yemen may resurrect the Washington debate over the best way forward in that conflict to protect U.S. interests.
The attack on the UAE will also resurrect past questions about whether the United States should protect its Gulf allies from Houthi projectiles, and how it can do so while opposing their offensive operations in Yemen. The Biden administration has been carefully threading this needle with Saudi Arabia for some time, and it may now have to do the same with the UAE – by Elana DeLozier
https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/houthi-strikes-uae-open-another-front-yemen-war
Main points in thread: https://twitter.com/ElanaGulf/status/1483565763650895874
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Houthi drone attacks expose UAE vulnerabilities, say analysts
Deadly Houthi attack jeopardises UAE’s reputation as a haven for tourism and trade, pushes it towards caution with Iran, say analysts.
“This attack brings home to the UAE that they were playing the game of a major power in the region,” said Andreas Krieg, a senior lecturer at the School of Security Studies at King’s College London. It made the Gulf country realise that “they are, after all a small state with a lot of vulnerabilities,” Krieg told Al Jazeera.
“This [the incident] is the greatest damage to the reputation of the UAE because they have always portrayed themselves as a safe and secure country to do business,” he said.
Marc-Owen Jones, assistant professor of Middle East Studies at Hamad bin Khalifa University, agreed.
“It [the attack] totally undermines the UAE’s reputation as a place of stability especially vis-a-vis tourism, finance, and trade, but crucially it also casts doubt on their ability to build a nuclear power station,” Jones told Al Jazeera, referring to UAE’s nuclear energy ambitions.
The UAE withdrew its troops in 2019 but continues to back armed groups opposed to the Houthis.
“All their [Emirati] foreign policy adventures have brought home that they are quite vulnerable to unconventional and asymmetric threats from different groups they’re fighting across the region,” said Krieg, referring to the drone attack.
“Despite claiming to have the most sophisticated air defences in the region, a drone from Yemen has landed at a strategic site in Abu Dhabi.
“This insecurity has been brought upon them by their own adventures … as unfinished wars now come back to haunt them,” he added.
Caution, not confrontation
UAE-backed forces have over the past few weeks made territorial gains against the Houthis, marking a shift in the battle. Yemen’s government-aligned forces, aided by the UAE-backed Giants Brigades, reclaimed the entire southern province of Shabwa from the Houthis earlier this month and made advances in nearby Marib and al-Bayda provinces.
While these developments may have triggered Monday’s attack, analysts say they are unlikely to be the only cause for the escalation.
“The attack may have been prompted by recent advances made by a UAE-backed militia in Yemen, but this is unlikely to be the only – or perhaps not even the main – reason,” said Michael Horowitz, a geopolitical and security analyst at Le Beck International, a Middle East focused consultancy.
“The attack against Abu Dhabi also served as a dire warning by Iran to the UAE,” said Horowitz, explaining that the United States has been pressuring the UAE to better enforce Iran sanctions as nuclear talks continue.
“Depending on how the JCPOA [Iran nuclear deal] talks play out and on the UAE’s own behaviour, more such attacks may be carried out against the country,” Horowitz added.
“There will be public bravado, but it [the attack] will put more pressure on the UAE to seek to have a rapprochement with Iran,” said Jones.
Horowitz agreed. “The last time the UAE felt such pressure, it reacted by quietly reaching out to Iran, to try and ease regional tensions,” he told Al Jazeera, referring to a series of attacks against maritime traffic off the UAE and against two energy facilities in Saudi Arabia in 2018 and 2019.
“Caution on the UAE’s side is far more likely than a shift back to confrontation,” he said – by Arwa Ibrahim
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/1/18/houthi-drone-attack-exposes-uae-vulnerabilities-in-region
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The Houthi attack on Abu Dhabi: What comes next?
The Houthis targeted the Emirati capital because in recent weeks UAE-aligned forces such as al-Weyat al-Amaliqa (a.k.a. the Giants Brigades), which is allied with the Southern Transitional Council (STC), have made gains on the ground in Shabwa, Marib, and al-Bayda at the Houthis’ expense.
Ansarullah attributes such losses to Abu Dhabi and its surrogate warfare in Yemen.
The 17 January attack against Abu Dhabi was “a strong and symbolic sign to show that no one is safe and that the Houthis have the capabilities to hit all the countries in the area, at the heart of their assets,” explained Dr Giuseppe Dentice, the head of the MENA Desk at the Center for International Studies and teaching assistant at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan, in an interview with The New Arab.
“So, if the attack is a sign of strength, the Houthis' aim is to dissuade ‘the invaders’ from feeling safe.”
With the Houthis waging this deadly assault against Abu Dhabi, the episode was a reminder that the UAE remains a party to the conflict in Yemen. It is not possible for the Emiratis to continue their current involvement in this war without facing serious risks that threaten their security at home.
The 17 January attack hurt the UAE’s reputation as an extremely stable Middle Eastern country with airtight security. As various analysts have warned, there are potential ramifications for the UAE’s tourism and financial sectors, position in the Middle East as a business hub, and nuclear energy ambitions.
“This is something that has created a major vulnerability for the UAE,” Dr Andreas Krieg, an associate professor at the School of Security at King's College in London, told TNA.
“This is a major reputational damage to the idea of the UAE being one of the safest and more secure countries in the world. The fact that air defences were unable to protect very critical infrastructure is definitely something the UAE will now have to consider.”
It is important to consider that while the Houthis seem to have launched this attack as a retaliation for their recent losses on the ground in Yemen, their threats to hit the UAE’s homeland have been going on for years.
A valid concern for UAE officialdom is that this will not be the last of such attacks and that the Houthis might make this more routine, like how the Yemeni rebels have spent years waging drone and missile strikes against neighbouring Saudi Arabia.
“From the UAE’s perspective, now that the Houthi drone threats have manifested into an actual attack the Emiratis have to view Yemen as a more existential threat than in the past,” Ryan Bohl, a Middle East analyst at risk consultancy Stratfor/Rane, told TNA.
“Their risk assessment has to change. It's clear they can't just carry out military action in Yemen without a potential threat to the homeland.”
But this does not necessarily mean that Abu Dhabi’s outlook toward Yemen or the UAE’s engagement in the country will necessarily shift in dramatic ways.
“The [Emiratis] don’t want to go back to major combat operations,” argues Dr Krieg. “That’s important to bear in mind. The UAE doesn’t want to go back to an escalation in Yemen. What they will do is do it remotely - either by air power or drones - or by continuing on the path that they’re on at the moment…via surrogates and proxies. I think they will continue doing that.”
An important question raised by analysts is, how will the 17 January drone and missile attack impact the mending of Emirati-Iranian relations?
Dr Dentice agrees. “I don’t think that this terror act could derail UAE (and wider Arab Gulf) dialogue with Iran because there are too many interests at stake. All parties will be engaged to exercise maximum restraint and prevent any escalation.”
Beyond Saudi Arabia, however, the other GCC states will likely continue providing symbolic backing for Abu Dhabi. After the 17 January attack, all members of the sub-regional institution used powerful rhetoric to demonstrate their support for the UAE.
But this can’t lead one to expect countries such as Kuwait, Oman, or Qatar to begin pushing for a further escalation of hostilities against the Houthis to retaliate.
On the contrary, Kuwait City, Muscat, and Doha are in favour of more mediation, negotiations, and de-escalation in Yemen, and the attack against the Emirati capital will probably not change that – by Giorgio Cafiero
https://english.alaraby.co.uk/analysis/houthi-attack-abu-dhabi-what-comes-next
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What is behind the Houthi attacks in the UAE?
The UAE, a member of the Saudi-led coalition fighting the rebels, has largely avoided the Houthi firing line until now.
The suspected drone attack on Monday claimed by Yemen’s Houthis on the United Arab Emirates, leading to the deaths of at least three people at Abu Dhabi International Airport, marks a strategic shift by the Iranian-allied rebel group.
The UAE – which has been a member of the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis, and officially backing Yemen’s government, since March 2015 – has largely avoided the Houthi firing line. Saudi Arabia has borne the brunt of missile and drone attacks sent from Yemen, and the last Houthi-claimed attack on the UAE was in 2018.
The UAE is further from Yemen, and shares no borders with the country, unlike Saudi Arabia’s long border with Yemen. But there also appeared to have long been an active strategy by the Houthis not to target the UAE,
For the past few years, the UAE has dialled down its own direct military involvement in Yemen.
UAE-backed forces, such as the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC), and the Joint Forces, led by a nephew of former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, have largely avoided offensives against the Houthis. The STC has instead directly clashed with the Yemeni government and, with UAE military support, took control of Yemen’s temporary capital Aden in 2019.
However, in the past few weeks, UAE-backed forces have turned their guns on the Houthis – with devastating effects.
The Giants Brigades, a force largely made up of southern Yemenis and which was fighting as part of the Joint Forces on the Red Sea coast, moved units east to Shabwah in late December, and forced the Houthis out of the governorate in less than two weeks. The Giants Brigades, along with official Yemeni government forces, are now pushing into Houthi territory in neighbouring al-Bayda and Marib governorates.
These advances marked a significant shift on the ground battle in Yemen, as 2021 had been a largely successful year for the Houthis.
The attack, coupled with the Houthi seizure of a UAE-flagged vessel in the Red Sea on January 2, is a threat to the UAE, and effectively a demand that the Emiratis stop their allies from advancing any further. The Houthis have the capability to attack the UAE again, as they have shown in their repeated attacks deep into Saudi territory.
The claimed attack on the UAE is therefore a Houthi gamble that the Emiratis will not wish to entrench themselves in Yemen once again, and will not want to suffer any economic damage as the result of continued Houthi attacks. However, the UAE may view 2022 as different to 2018. It no longer has a significant presence of its own troops on the ground, and instead relies on its allies, who can be supported tactically and financially, alongside air raids.
Just as importantly, the UAE’s enemies within the anti-Houthi alliance in Yemen, the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Islah Party, have been significantly weakened.
A scenario in which both the Houthis and Islah can be weakened would be ideal for the UAE. The question now is, will the Houthis be able to sustain continued attacks against the UAE? And will the Emiratis be able to accept that in return for desirable outcomes on the battlefield in Yemen?
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/1/17/explainer-houthi-attacks-abu-dhabi-uae
and also films:
by France 24: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xc_LI_XIYpU = https://www.france24.com/en/video/20220117-yemen-s-houthis-launch-drone-attack-on-uae-killing-three
by WION: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRajz6drxBE
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Has The Yemen Conflict Reached The UAE?
What are the concerns?
The precise technical capabilities of the Yemeni rebel forces are not entirely known. In general their drone attacks have primarily targeted Saudi airports OEAB/Abha and OEGN/Jazan which lie close to the Yemen border. The capability and intent to send weapons through Saudi Arabia and to target the UAE is an escalation on what they have previously carried out.
Does this change the risk level for UAE airspace?
The rebels have suggested they will continue to target the UAE, however, they are targeting ‘sensitive sites’ on the ground such as oil refineries. There is no apparent intent to target aircraft or civilian airports. Unfortunately, such sites tend to be located along the coast and are in proximity to busy airspace and major airports.
Can we mitigate any of the risk?
The UAE have significant military defense capabilities as well. If you are operating into the region, be aware of increased military helicopter traffic. Maintain a good listening watch on frequency, and on 121.5.
The UAE do not use special procedures (like the Saudi ESCAT ones) but are proactive in closing their airspace if drones are identified within it – be aware of what yourroute options and alternate options are in case this occurs.
Keep an eye on Safeairspace for further updates or changes to the risk rating.
https://ops.group/blog/has-the-yemen-conflict-reached-the-uae/
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After The UAE Attacks: Could The Houthis Spread The Conflict Further?
The recent attacks by the Houthis from presumably deep inside Yemen just shows the nefarious nature of the Yemeni conflict
While the impact is being played down despite the fact three storage tankers were struck and blown up with three killed - one Pakistani and two Indians - in addition to six others injured - the new situation and the increasing length range of the Houthi missiles must be carefully considered for the implications of this latest action means the 'local' war in Yemen could just easily be "exported" further deep inside other regional countries.
However, instead of petering the conflict out, there is apparently, today, an escalation on both sides currently taking place on the oil-rich Shabwa and Marib were much blood is being spelled by both sides,
Many analysts see the latest strikes on the Abu Dhabi oil trucks is related to this internal Yemeni domestic strategy and the escalation presently taking place in the central part of the country. The question that is being asked by many is why target the UAE now especially since the Emirates reduced its role in Yemen since 2019 when it no longer sought an active part in the Saudi-led coalition.
Its a complex situation. While the Emirates may have reduced their role the Houthis argue they are feeding Yemeni troops working against them which is continuing to increase tensions in the country and the region. Take the case of the UAE-flagged ship, the Rwabee which was seized by the Houthis in the Red Sea a few weeks ago, for instance.
Yet with developed drone technology and missiles the Houthis are proving capable they can improve their fire-range all the time from the sorrounding Arabian Peninsula till the other side of the Gulf. Fingers have pointed to Iran, which backs the Houthis, but Tehran categorically rejects it had any doing in the latest actions.
It must finally be said it is Yemen, the surrounding region and even the Gulf that is suffering. The toll of the Yemeni conflict has been horrendous.
These are the grim realities Yemen faces. The continuation of the conflict and its potential spread is likely to worsen the situation
https://www.albawaba.com/opinion/after-uae-attacks-could-houthis-spread-conflict-further-1463022
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Film: What’s behind the Houthis’ attack on the UAE?
https://www.aljazeera.com/program/inside-story/2022/1/18/whats-behind-the-houthis-attack-on-the-uae
Snippet, E. Kendall: https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1483559789808525315
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Film, E. Kendall: Why would #Yemen's #Houthis target #UAE with #drones now? Here's a 1-minute answer for BBC Radio 4 "The World Tonight"
https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1483523158107951106
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Film, Elisabeth Kendall on BBC Newshour re. Drone Attacks on UAE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhTX4nHEp00
Snippet: https://twitter.com/Dr_E_Kendall/status/1483477761368993798
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'Oasis of security' UAE faces Yemen rebel threat
But the attack was a jolt for the wealthy UAE, an oil, trade, tourism and transport centre known as a bastion of calm in an often turbulent region.
"If these sort of attacks increase in scale and quantity, it would certainly tarnish UAE's reputation, since it is built on being an oasis of security in the Middle East," said Dania Thafer, director of the Gulf International Forum research institute.
"The Huthis appear to be aware of how UAE's reputation is at the heart of its strategic goals, and are hoping to gain a low-cost but high-return strike against the UAE as retribution for their recent setbacks in Shabwa," Thafer said.
However, Eman Alhussein, non-resident fellow of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, said the UAE's image would remain intact despite the setback.
"I do not think the attacks will have a significant impact on the UAE's reputation, as it has built a strong brand and image that can withstand the recent attacks," he told AFP.
"This is not a new front against UAE interests abroad or in the homeland, but rather a direct escalation," said Mohammad Al-Basha, Yemen expert for the US-based Navanti research group.
Now, with the intractable conflict dragged to their doorstep, the Emiratis' choices include either sticking to their guns, or dialling down to reduce the risk to their oil, business and tourism interests.
Elisabeth Kendall, a researcher at the University of Oxford, called the attack a "significant escalation" but did not expect a "knee-jerk reaction" like recommitting troops.
"It is unlikely to veer from its long-term strategy, for example by scaling up its own troop presence in Yemen again, on the basis of a provocation," she said.
Jack A. Kennedy, head of Middle East Country Risk at research company IHS Markit, said the UAE was now likely to "intensify" its support for Yemen's southern militias.
"The Huthis are likely to counterbalance further territorial losses with increased cross-border attacks, using ballistic missiles and attack UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones) against Saudi Arabia, UAE and civilian and military targets in Yemen," he warned.
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220119-oasis-of-security-uae-faces-yemen-rebel-threat = https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-10419119/Oasis-security-UAE-faces-Yemen-rebel-threat.html
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UAE raid raises Yemen stakes, draws closer scrutiny of Iran allies
By attacking the United Arab Emirates the Houthis sought to warn the Gulf state to stay out of a battle for prized energy regions in Yemen, where the Iran-aligned group has been angered by losses to forces backed by the powerful U.S. ally.
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A drone attack in Abu Dhabi could mark a dangerous turning point for the Middle East. Here's what to know
Why was the Houthi attack so significant?
In addition to being the first deadly attack in the UAE in many years, the drone attacks on Monday demonstrated the Houthis' ability to launch long-range attacks. Yemen's rebels frequently conduct cross-border attacks on Saudi Arabia, Yemen's neighbor, but these were relatively short distances in comparison with Abu Dhabi, and the vast majority of the missiles and drones were intercepted before they hit their targets.
Oil prices spiked after the attacks, which spurred a flurry of international condemnation from the US and other world leaders
Now Yemen's Houthis have delivered on a threat that they have for years made against the UAE, a major coalition partner in a six-year Saudi-led military campaign to crush the Iran-backed rebels.
Now, analysts say the rebels are eager to spark another Emirati withdrawal.
"The intervention of the UAE-supported forces was a game-changer. This angered the Houthis," said Maged al-Madhaji, executive director and co-founder of the Sana'a Center for Strategic Studies. "The Houthis are trying to create some sort of balance by striking the image of stability and security in the Emirates."
What's at stake for the UAE?
The oil-rich nation has for decades managed to stave off the political turbulence occurring elsewhere in the region. Stability is one of the UAE's major selling points -- helping to attract millions of expatriates and billions of dollars in foreign investment -- but that image could be shattered if the conflict with the Houthis escalates.
The UAE relies heavily on foreign workers, who make up the vast majority of the country's workforce. Authorities intensively manage the country's reputation, and freedom of political expression is practically non-existent. Defenders of those restrictions on expression argue that they're necessary to maintain stability against all odds in the conflict-ridden Middle East.
But for years, the UAE's muscular foreign policy — which saw it intervene in Egypt, Libya, Syria and the horn of Africa, in addition to Yemen — imperiled that very stability. When tankers were being targeted by its regional arch-nemesis Iran in 2019, off the coast of the UAE, Abu Dhabi quickly changed tack.
Since then it's been on a diplomatic spree to heal years-old rifts. It has made a number of overtures to Iran, including sending a high-level delegation reportedly in October 2019 and then again in late 2021.
Yet Monday's attack underscored a point that many observers have made, which is that turning the page on a decade of blood-drenched proxy war will be neither smooth nor instantaneous. All countries in the region, not just the UAE, will have a vested interest in a rapid deescalation of Monday's violence.
Was Iran involved in the Houthi attack on the UAE?
We don't know. What we do know that the drones were likely supplied by Iran, the principal supporter of the Houthis in their war on the internationally-recognized government of Yemen. But it is unclear if the Houthis' backers in Tehran ordered the strike, or if the rebel group suddenly went rogue.
It wouldn't be the first time Iran-aligned groups appeared to go their own way.
What does this mean for the Iran nuclear talks?
The violence on Monday has the potential to derail the nuclear negotiations in Vienna, as well as parallel talks between Saudi Arabia and Iran seen as critical to the success of a possible second version of the 2015 deal.
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/01/18/middleeast/uae-abu-dhabi-houthi-yemen-explainer-intl/index.html
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UAE vows retaliation for Houthi-claimed attack, but questions emerge over potential Iran role
But many regional analysts point to what they believe is likely the directing force behind the Houthis’ attack: Iran. The UAE has been a part of the coalition fighting the Houthis since 2015, and though it significantly reduced its forces from the country in 2019, it still trains and supports anti-Houthi groups.
“I think the issue we’ve got to determine, first of all, was it the Houthis directly,” Angus Blair, professor of practice at the University of Cairo in Egypt, told CNBC on Tuesday. “Nothing would have happened without Tehran’s consent or direct engagement.”
Blair and others cite historical example to back up their suspicion. Iran has provided missiles and drones to the Houthis for several years, backing them as part of a broader proxy war with Saudi Arabia.
Will the UAE avoid escalation?
News emerged in late 2021 that Riyadh and Tehran had begun exploratory talks, an effort crucial in easing regional tensions, particularly with Iran’s new hardline government. While Riyadh and Tehran have not conveyed any expectations of a major breakthrough, both sides have expressed support for easing tensions, and the Biden administration said it welcomed the outreach.
Any progress on that front may be stalled now.
“It seems likely this will cause at least a temporary setback between the GCC and Iran talks,” Ryan Bohl, a Middle East and Africa analyst at Rane, told CNBC. The key question then is whether the UAE decides to point the finger of blame for the attack at Tehran, which it avoided doing over a series of tanker sabotage blasts off its coast in 2019 that Riyadh and Washington squarely blamed on Iran.
“It will remain to be seen if the Emiratis decide to hold Iran responsible or if they do what they’ve done in the past which is overlooked the Iranian role in order to avoid escalation,” Bohl said. “The Emiratis are likely to compartmentalize the retaliation to Yemen at least in the short term.”
Spotlight on UAE’s vulnerability
Monday’s attack, the biggest in the country that has been claimed by the Houthis and the first since 2018, “highlights the UAE’s vulnerable geopolitical position and their role in the war in Yemen, neither of which are ideal for the country’s national and business reputation,” Bohl said.
The event “is another reminder of the highly complex missile and drone threat faced by the UAE and the region’s other main oil producers,” Torbjorn Soltvedt, principal MENA analyst at Verisk Maplecroft, wrote in an analysis note Monday. “Unless the Gulf Cooperation Council states can find a solution to diffuse regional tensions, or deter hostility from regional state and non-state actors, they will remain vulnerable to attacks.”
As for the Houthis, the group has published propaganda videos threatening to make the UAE an “unsafe place” and has pledged to continue their operations against the UAE.
“The Houthis have shown that they will hold the UAE responsible for the actions of its proxy units,” veteran Middle East journalist Gregory Johnson wrote on Twitter. This could draw the UAE back into more fighting in Yemen, or spur increased airstrikes on Houthi-held territory.
Still, Bohl says, “By limiting the retaliation to Yemen,” rather than extending it to Iran, “the potential for major escalation is reduced even if it does put the UAE into a tricky position of establishing credible deterrence against the Houthis ... As well as reminding the international community that the UAE is still very much active in Yemen, despite its much publicized so-called withdrawal in 2019.”
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Was Houthi Attack on Abu Dhabi 'Test Trial' for Strike on Dubai? UAE Intel Fears Rerun at Expo
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Why is The Yemeni Rebel Attack on Abu Dhabi A Game-changer?
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Explained: Why did Yemen's Houthis attack the UAE?
The UAE has recently returned to the frontlines of the war after years of disengagement, prompting the attack by Iran-aligned rebels, analysts and Houthis say
A Houthi leader in Sanaa, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told MEE that "Ansar Allah [the Houthis] are targeting the UAE this time because it returned to the frontline of the Yemen conflict again to fight us while we were about to take over Marib".
He mentioned that the recent developments in Marib and the advances by the UAE-backed Giants forces were the reasons for the latest Houthi attack on the Gulf country. The Houthis want to send a message to the UAE that they can target their territories, he said.
"We have weapons that can reach the Emirates, and they can't afford our attacks. If they continue to support the US in fighting us, we promise them attacks like those we launch against Saudi Arabia."
"The UAE is a tool in the hands of the US and Israel. We will confront it either inside Yemen or by targeting its lands."
Peter Salisbury, International Crisis Group's senior analyst for Yemen, told MEE: "The UAE claims it is not involved in frontline combat anymore, but the perception among many Yemenis - and obviously the Houthis - is that the forces that have taken territory from the Houthis are UAE-aligned and overseen, even if the Saudis are technically calling the shots.
"The Houthi stance seems to be that until these attacks against them stop, they will target the UAE."
Adam Baron, a political analyst focusing on the Middle East with an emphasis on Yemen and the Gulf, told MEE that the "attack comes in the wake of significant battlefield gains by what are often described as UAE-backed forces.
"While the Houthis have claimed attacks on UAE targets previously, this is the most significant one to date. There is certainly a potential for more escalation - there have already been a series of airstrikes in Sanaa in seeming response to the attack."
Mohammed Albasha, a senior Arabian Peninsula analyst at the Navanti Group, told MEE that Abu Dhabi would likely utilise its United Nations Security Council seat for the 2022-2023 term to push for more sanctions against the Houthi leadership. He claimed the UAE was also lobbying Washington to re-designate Ansar Allah as a "foreign terrorist organisation".
"I suspect the UAE will continue to provide more logistical support to the Guardians of the Republic, Giant Brigades, and Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces. The idea for peace and stability in Yemen would be far-fetched at this stage," Albasha said.
"We know that the escalation in Shabwah and Marib against the Houthis was after getting the green light from the UAE, and we know that the Houthis want to take revenge," Mohammed Ali, a journalist and commentator, told MEE.
"However I can’t believe that the Houthis have weapons that can target the UAE," he added. "If they did, it means they are a strong force now that can genuinely threaten neighbouring countries."
He said he believed the drones may have been sent from Iran "but the Houthis were happy to claim it to show they have modern weapons".
"The coming months will show the world if it was the Houthis or not, but for me, I still doubt that the Houthis did it."
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/yemen-houthis-attacked-uae-abu-dhabi-explained
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Houthis attacked UAE in retaliation for Arab Coalition gains in Yemen: Analysts
The Iran-backed Houthis attacked the UAE on Monday to retaliate against the gains the Arab Coalition has been making in recent weeks in Yemen, analysts told Al Arabiya English.
Analysts believe the Houthis needed to send a message to the UAE in retaliation for the gains the Arab Coalition – of which the UAE is an essential member – has been making in Yemen, reclaiming provinces from under the control of the Houthis.
“The Houthis blame the UAE for recent setbacks in Yemen,” said Simon Henderson, director of the Bernstein Program on Gulf and Energy Policy at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Daniel Byman, senior fellow for foreign policy at the Brookings Institution’s Center for Middle East Policy said: “The Houthis are seeking to retaliate for successful military operations by… groups backed by the UAE in Shabwa province. They seek to show the UAE there is a price for continued military operations and, by inflicting that price, deter the UAE from increasing support.”
What is Iran’s role in this?
However, it is not yet clear if Iran sanctioned the attack, or if it was completely a Houthi singular decision. Tehran has yet to comment on the attack.
“I would not over-interpret Iranian silence… The UAE attack could be part of a regional effort, or it could be Houthi freelancing,” Alterman said.
Byman said: “Iran often pretends that it is not working closely with the Houthis. Tehran probably seeks to avoid complicating relations with the UAE while ensuring its local proxies can operate effectively.”
Meanwhile, Henderson said: “Perhaps [it is] premature to say Iran is being silent. But it doesn’t need to say anything. The UAE knows that the Houthis have been given this capability by Iran.”
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Analysis: Is Ansarullah ultimatum to UAE ending?
The pressure building on the Saudi-Emirati coalition and its Yemeni allies in the war following the battleground triumphs of Ansarullah Movement in various parts of Yemen have caused the Arab alliance to dramatically intensify its air and ground strikes in the recent weeks to reverse the defeats.
What is significant about the new developments is the increase in the direct UAE involvement in the war and possible rethinking of range of "deterrence" attacks by the powerful Ansarullah.
In recent months, Ansarullah has directed its threats to the UAE, the second most important member of the coalition. The latest stance taken by Ansarullah pointed to broadening of UAE range of activities in the war.
"There is a deal between Saudi Arabia and the UAE according to which Saudi Arabia will hand over all the southern provinces of Yemen, including Shabwa, to the UAE in return for Abu Dhabi restoring its full involvement in the war," Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, the member of Ansarullah Political Office, told Al-Araby news network on Thursday.
"Of course, a few years ago, the UAE sought to stop involvement in Yemen invasion," he said, adding: "We gave the UAE a chance and postponed plans of attack deep into thee Emirates. But, unfortunately, the Emirates is escalating the tensions."
Threats to the UAE by Ansarullah during the war are not new and such threats have been made in recent months.
In the final weeks of last year, General Yahya Saree, spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces, threatened that if the UAE continued its attacks, it could return the country to the "target circle" designed by the Yemeni army and popular committees.
Earlier, Hisham Sharaf, the foreign minister of the National Salvation Government, addressed the UAE's illegal actions in Yemeni lands and islands, warning that "if you do not leave our lands and islands, the flames of fire will soon reach you."
Certainly, the shadow of the threat of Ansarullah deterrence operations against Saudi military bases and vital infrastructure is always present also on the UAE. What has so far delayed its attacks is the attitude and war strategy of the Sana'a leaders who have sought to maintain and widen the division in the Saudi-Emirati coalition by focusing the attacks on Saudi Arabia.
In such conditions, Abu Dhabi's futile efforts to return to war swamp not only bring no gains for the Emirates but also make it target of crushing drone, missile, and sea attacks of Ansarullah.
https://en.abna24.com/news//analysis-is-ansarullah-ultimatum-to-uae-ending_1220070.html
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UAE seeks Pentagon’s support following drone attack on Abu Dhabi
The United Arab Emirates is requesting US support to shore up its air defenses following a deadly drone attack claimed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Abu Dhabi on Monday.
Abu Dhabi Crown Price Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan spoke with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin by phone on Wednesday to request the assistance, the UAE’s ambassador to Washington Yousuf Al Otaiba said following the call.
A Pentagon official speaking on condition of anonymity confirmed the request but provided no further details.
“They discussed urgent steps to tighten air defenses against missiles and drones and enhance maritime security to stop weapons flows” to Yemen’s Houthi rebels, the UAE’s embassy in Washington said in a statement.
Austin "underscored his unwavering support for the security and defense of UAE territory against all threats," the Pentagon said in a statement later on Wednesday.
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UAE to Ask U.S. to Restore Houthi Terrorism Label After Attack
The United Arab Emirates will ask the U.S. to put Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthis back on its list of terrorist organizations after a drone attack on the Emirati capital killed three people, a person familiar with government thinking said Monday.
The UAE will work on building pressure through the UN Security Council over the strike and the capture of an Emirati vessel off the coast of Yemen earlier this month, the person said.
It wasn’t immediately clear how Washington would respond to such a request given increased frictions in relations between the two allies over issues ranging from Iran to growing Chinese influence in the Persian Gulf.
https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/uae-to-ask-u-s-to-restore-houthi-terrorism-label-after-attack-1.1708811
My comment: This could make sense if all forces bombing and droning in Yemen and elsewhere whould be labeled “terrorists”: The Saudis, UAE, the US, Israel… If not, also the Houthis should not be labeled as such.
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[Hadi gov.] Yemeni foreign minister calls for Houthis to be re-designated as terrorist group
International community is urged to take firmer action than just condemning the rebels' attack on Abu Dhabi
The Houthi rebel movement should be re-designated as a terrorist organisation after its attack on Abu Dhabi and continued assaults on Saudi Arabia, Yemen's Foreign Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak said on Tuesday.
The international community must respond more firmly than merely condemning the attacks on the UAE capital, he said.
"There seems to be some confusion over the reaction from the international community to the Houthis' attacks. The attacks on Abu Dhabi are unprecedented and represent a serious escalation and threat to Arab and regional security," Mr bin Mubarak told Sky News Arabia.
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Israel offers UAE support after Houthi drone attack
Israel and the United States were swift to back Abu Dhabi amid an unprecedented drone attack by Iran-backed rebels.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett offered to provide the United Arab Emirates with “security and intelligence support” following a deadly drone attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels yesterday.
Bennett’s office condemned the attack in a publicly released letter addressed to Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed today.
“Israel stands with the UAE,” the letter read, adding, “The world should stand against terror.”
Bennett said he had “ordered the Israeli security establishment to provide their counterparts in the UAE with any assistance, should [bin Zayed] be interested.”
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2022/01/israel-offers-uae-support-after-houthi-drone-attack
My comment: Israel wants to interfer in the Yemen War now?
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How the world reacted to the Houthi attack on UAE
Politicians condemn Monday’s attacks on Abu Dhabi – claimed by Yemen-based Houthi rebels – that killed three people.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/1/18/the-world-reacts-to-houthi-attacks-on-uae
and
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Arab League, Pak, Yemen, Turkey, Russia and Singapore strongly condemn Houthi attack on UAE civil facilities
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Guterres condemns attack on Abu Dhabi airport and oil facility
The Secretary-General condemned on Monday the attacks on Abu Dhabi’s International Airport and the nearby Musaffah industrial area, which reportedly caused several civilian casualties and have been claimed by the Yemen-based Houthi rebel group, formally known as Ansar Allah.
In his statement,António Guterres,reminded that attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are prohibited by international humanitarian law.
The Secretary-General also called on all parties involved in Yemen’s nearly six year conflict, to exercise maximum restraint and prevent any escalation amid heightened tensions in the region.
“There is no military solution to the conflict in Yemen”, he reiterated, as the UN has noted since the beginning of the war in 2015.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/01/1109942
and also https://osesgy.unmissions.org/note-correspondents-response-questions-yemen-and-united-arab-emirates
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White House 'strongly condemns' attack in UAE capital
The White House on Monday condemned an attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels that killed three people in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, pledging to hold the insurgent group responsible.
“The United States strongly condemns today’s terrorist attack in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, which killed three innocent civilians,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement Monday afternoon.
“The Houthis have claimed responsibility for this attack, and we will work with the UAE and international partners to hold them accountable,” Sullivan continued. “Our commitment to the security of the UAE is unwavering and we stand beside our Emirati partners against all threats to their territory.”
Full statement here: https://twitter.com/lrozen/status/1483158534221180932
Comment: Double standards at its best; the whole world rushes to condemn an attack by the #Yemeni forces on the #UAE and disregards the massacres of the #Saudi-led coalition against #Yemen.
https://twitter.com/MayadeenEnglish/status/1483198921526685704
and
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Secretary Antony Blinken: Spoke today with United Arab Emirates’ Minister of Foreign Affairs @ABZayed about the deadly Houthi attacks today impacting civilians and civilian infrastructure. I expressed my condolences and my solidarity with people of the UAE.
https://twitter.com/SecBlinken/status/1483220154603524102
and
(A K P)
[US] DOD Condemns Iranian-Backed Houthi Attack on Partner UAE
The Defense Department condemned the attack on the regional partner and promised to seek ways to help the UAE better defend itself.
“The Department of Defense joins me in strongly condemning yesterday’s terrorist attack in Abu Dhabi,” Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said in a statement Jan. 18.
“We remain committed to the UAE’s security and ability to defend itself and stand united with our Emirati partners in defending against all threats to their territory,” the Secretary added.
In a briefing Jan. 18, Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby went further, underscoring the foreign military sales relationship with the UAE and noting that the U.S. would seek ways to strengthen the partnership.
“We take these attacks on the Emirati seriously,” Kirby said. “We’re going to continue, again, to look for ways to make that defense partnership and their ability to defend themselves stronger and better.”
U.S. foreign military sales to the UAE total $29.3 billion and include the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and MQ-9B remotely piloted aircraft.
The Air Force relies on the UAE’s Al Dhafra Air Base, where 3,500 U.S. personnel are stationed for regional operations including over-the-horizon efforts in Afghanistan.
https://www.airforcemag.com/dod-condemns-iranian-backed-houthi-attack-on-partner-uae/
and also, with film: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-live-pentagon-press-secretary-john-kirby-holds-a-news-briefing-3
My comment: And again and again, the US gives us a proof that it is a warring party in Yemen.
(A K P)
UK Foreign Secretary condemns Houthi attacks on civil facilities in UAE
UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs Liz Truss condemned the terrorist Houthi attacks on civil facilities and areas in the UAE, Monday, "I condemn in the strongest terms the Houthi-claimed terrorist attacks on the United Arab Emirates," Truss tweeted today.
http://www.wam.ae/en/details/1395303012180
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Abu Dhabi attack threatens regional stability: France
France on Monday condemned "in the strongest terms" a deadly drone attack in Abu Dhabi claimed by Yemen's Huthi rebels.
"These attacks threaten the security of the United Arab Emirates and regional stability," Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said.
"France expresses its support for the UAE in the face of these attacks," he said.
Le Drian reiterated his call for the Huthis to "immediately cease their destabilising actions in Yemen and in the region and to engage constructively in a political process for exiting the crisis".
https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1629308-20220118.htm?spTabChangeable=0
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Joint Forces Command of Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen: Hostile activities of Houthis are a threat to regional, international Security
The official Spokesperson of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen Brigadier General Turki Al-Malki issued a statement on today's terrorist attack by Houthi terrorist militia on civil facilities in the UAE. Following is the statement which was carried by the Saudi Press Agency: "The hostile attacks of the terrorist, Iran-backed Houthi militia today that deliberately targeted civilians, civilian objects and economic installations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates represent war crimes; the perpetrators of which must be held accountable. Such crimes sound the alarm of the threat and danger this terrorist militia represents to regional and international security.
The egregious, hostile attack against the brotherly United Arab Emirates through targeting two economic facilities and Abu Dhabi International Airport using three bomb-laden drones, which the terrorist Houthi militia has claimed responsibility for as a proxy of Iran in the region, is a cowardly, terrorist attack, and a flagrant violation of the International Humanitarian Law that contradicts all humanitarian values by deliberately targeting innocent civilians.
The Joint Forces Command of the Coalition has intercepted a total of (8) bomb-laden drones that were launched towards the Kingdom to deliberately and systematically target civilians and civilian objects.
This hostile behavior and escalation by the terrorist, Iran-backed Houthi militia reaffirms the threat and undermining of this terrorist militia to regional and international security. These attacks are an extension to threats against the freedom of navigation and international trade in the South Red Sea and Bab Al-Mandab Strait, and an evolution in their acts of piracy and threats to regional airspace.
The Joint Forces Command of the Coalition will undertake all necessary measures to deter these hostile acts of the Houthi militia against civilians
http://wam.ae/en/details/1395303012183
and also https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2321766
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Houthis attack on Abu Dhabi airport is a dangerous escalation
Later, it was also reported that US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke with the Emirati Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Secretary Blinken condemned today's terrorist attacks which killed and wounded innocent civilians. A State Department statement said "The Houthis have claimed responsibility for this appalling attack. The Secretary expressed his solidarity with the Emirati people and voiced his condolences for the loss of life."
There has also been strong condemnations of the attack in the region itself. Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke on the phone with his Abu Dhabi counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, during which he condemned an attack
The two leaders affirmed that these terrorist acts that targeted the Kingdom and the UAE would increase both countries’ “resolve and their determination to continue to confront those aggressive practices” carried out by the Houthi militia, who have wreaked havoc in Yemen, killing the Yemeni people and continue its “miserable and unsuccessful attempts to spread chaos” with the aim of destabilizing the region’s security and stability.
The crown princes called on the international community to stand up to these flagrant violations of international law and norms and to reject and condemn these terrorist crimes that threaten regional and international peace and security, a statement on Saudi Press Agency said.
The Saudi crown prince expressed his deepest condolences for the deceased and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
Sheikh Mohammed thanked Prince Mohammed for the sincere sentiment
https://www.commonspace.eu/news/houthis-attack-abu-dhabi-airport-dangerous-escalation
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Saudi Arabia condemns Houthi attack on UAE
“The Kingdom affirms its full stand with the brotherly United Arab Emirates in the face of everything that threatens its security and stability. The Kingdom also points out that this terrorist act, which is behind the evil forces of the Houthi terrorist militia, reaffirms the seriousness of this terrorist group and its threat to security, peace, and stability in the region and the World,” the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2022/01/17/Saudi-Arabia-condemns-Houthi-attack-on-UAE
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UAE says it reserves right to respond after Yemen rebel attack
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) said Monday that it reserves the right to respond following an attack by Houthi rebels in Yemen.
"We condemn the Houthi terrorist militia's targeting of civilian areas and facilities on Emirati soil today," the UAE Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“This heinous attack will not go unpunished," it added.
The statement said the UAE “reserves the right to respond to these terrorist attacks and this vicious criminal escalation."
and
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Houthi Unlawful Targeting of UAE will be Held Accountable, Vows UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates, affirmed that the UAE condemns the Houthi militia's targeting of civilian areas and facilities on UAE soil today, reiterating that those responsible for this unlawful targeting of the country will be held accountable.
According to WAM, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation stated that the UAE reserves the right to respond to these terrorist attacks and criminal escalation, describing them as crimes committed in flagrant violation of international law.
The UAE ministry said that the terrorist militia has carried out a cowardly act to spread terrorism and chaos in the region in order to achieve its illegal aims and objectives. It called on the international community to strongly condemn and denounce these terrorist acts that target civilians and civilian facilities.
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2321731
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Houthis’ ‘terrorist’ tampering with stability will not affect UAE security: Gargash
The diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, Anwar Gargash, described Monday’s attack on Abu Dhabi civilian targets which killed three people and wounded six others as “Houthi aggression”, and stressed that the Yemeni militia will not destabilize the country’s security.
“The concerned authorities in the UAE deal transparently and responsibly with regard to the sinful Houthi aggression on some civilian facilities in Abu Dhabi,” Gargash said on Twitter.
He added: “Terrorist militias’ tampering with the stability of the region is too weak to affect the security and safety in which we live, and the fate of this recklessness and absurdity is decline and defeat.”
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UAE to receive more painful attacks if aggression continues
A senior member of Ansarullah’s political bureau warned that if Abu Dhabi does not stop its aggression on Yemen, it will receive more painful attacks than the attacks reported in Abi Dhabi.
The Yemeni army and popular committees have shown more patience towards the UAE rather than Saudis, al-Bukhaiti said, adding, "This is because Emirati people oppose the invasion of Yemen and the participation of their rulers in the Saudi-led coalition."
Before the recent aggression against Yemen, there was no animosity between the UAE and Yemen, he also pointed out.
Although UAE had announced that it would stop the aggression against Yemen, its withdrawal from Yemen was not complete, he said.
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/182984/UAE-to-receive-more-painful-attacks-if-aggression-continues
and also https://en.abna24.com/news//ansarullah-of-yemen-warns-uae-of-more-painful-attacks_1220068.html
and
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[Sanaa gov.] Yemeni diplomat: Abu Dhabi strike is just a prelude
Member of the national negotiating delegation in Sana’a, Abdul-Malik al-Ajri, has affirmed on Monday that the latest bombing operation against the UAE is “a prelude by the Yemeni army to deter Abu Dhabi.”
Al-Ajri indicated in a press statement that “the UAE fell into an American-Israeli-Saudi trap to get them to return to the front in Yemen.”
He pointed out that the recent Emirati move in Yemen brought it back to the front, but noted that the UAE can not withstand intense retaliation strikes such as Saudi Arabia has suffered at Yemeni hands.
https://hodhodyemennews.net/en_US/2022/01/17/yemeni-diplomat-abu-dhabi-strike-is-just-a-prelude/
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United Arab Emirates: Statement by the [EU] Spokesperson on attacks claimed by Ansar Allah
The European Union strongly condemns Monday’s cross-border drone attack claimed by Yemeni movement Ansar Allah against fuel tank storage facility near Abu Dhabi airport.
Attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure are unacceptable. The latest attack increases the risk of further escalation of the Yemen conflict and undermines ongoing efforts to end the war.
There can only be a political resolution to the conflict in Yemen.
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Yemeni FM condemns terrorist Houthi attack on civil facilities in UAE in phone call with Abdullah bin Zayed
During the phone call, Bin Mubarak expressed strong condemnation and denunciation of the terrorist attack by the terrorist Houthi militia on civil areas and facilities in the UAE, saying it is an unprecedented escalation and a systematic assault on civil facilities and civilians.
https://www.wam.ae/en/details/1395303012140
and
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Yemen's government condemns Houthi attacks on UAE, Saudi Arabia
Yemen's internationally-recognized government on Monday condemned the attacks launched by the Houthi militia on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia.
"The Yemeni government condemned in the strongest terms the Houthis' terrorist attack using explosive-laden drones against the UAE," Yemen's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
The ministry noted "the attack shows the Houthis' frustration" after their recent losses in Shabwa, which was fully recaptured by the pro-government southern Giants Brigades.
It also condemned "the militia's launch of three explosive-laden drones targeting the southern region of Saudi Arabia."
The ministry reaffirmed its support for Saudi Arabia and the UAE, as well as any actions taken by the two allies to "confront these despicable terrorist acts, preserve the safety of their citizens and residents on their lands, and protect vital facilities."
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/20220118/cc23c8f2475940799413ff0c24a7ef01/c.html
and
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Yemen's Islah Party slams Houthi attack on civilians in UAE
and also https://www.alsahwa-yemen.net/en/p-54220
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Houthi attack on Abu Dhabi undermines Yemeni reconciliation process - Russian lawmaker
Leonid Slutsky said that the attacks expose outrageous political recklessness
https://tass.com/politics/1389343
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Turkish parliament speaker condemns Houthi attack in UAE
Mustafa Sentop extends his condolences 'to the brotherly people and Administration” of United Arab Emirates
Fortsetzung / Sequel: cp1c – cp19
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-784b-yemen-war-mosaic-784b
Vorige / Previous:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose/jemenkrieg-mosaik-781yemen-war-mosaic-781
Jemenkrieg-Mosaik 1-781 / Yemen War Mosaic 1-781:
https://www.freitag.de/autoren/dklose oder / or http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm
Der saudische Luftkrieg im Bild / Saudi aerial war images:
(18 +, Nichts für Sensible!) / (18 +; Graphic!)
http://poorworld.net/YemenWar.htm
http://yemenwarcrimes.blogspot.de/
Liste aller Luftangriffe / and list of all air raids:
http://yemendataproject.org/data/
Untersuchung ausgewählter Luftangriffe durch Bellingcat / Bellingcat investigations of selected air raids:
Untersuchungen von Angriffen, hunderte von Filmen / Investigations of attacks, hundreds of films:
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