{"id":60271,"date":"2022-01-17T19:43:51","date_gmt":"2022-01-17T19:43:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2022\/01\/17\/us-condemns-deadly-houthi-drone-attack-on-uae-oil-facility-near-al-dhafra\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T11:23:41","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T11:23:41","slug":"us-condemns-deadly-houthi-drone-attack-on-uae-oil-facility-near-al-dhafra","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2022\/01\/17\/us-condemns-deadly-houthi-drone-attack-on-uae-oil-facility-near-al-dhafra\/","title":{"rendered":"US condemns deadly Houthi drone attack on UAE oil facility near Al-Dhafra"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) \u2014 The White House \u201cstrongly condemns\u201d a deadly Houthi<\/a> attack on an Abu Dhabi oil facility and promises \u201cthe U.S. will work with the UAE and international partners to <\/a>hold them accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A drone attack claimed by Yemen\u2019s Houthi rebels targeting a key oil facility in Abu Dhabi killed three people on Monday and sparked a fire at Abu Dhabi\u2019s international airport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emirati police identified the dead as two Indian nationals and one Pakistani. Several people were also wounded at an industrial area where Abu Dhabi\u2019s state-owned energy company runs a pipeline network and an oil tanker storage facility. The police said they suffered minor to moderate injuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur commitment to the security of the UAE is unwavering and we stand beside our Emirati partners against all threats to their territory,\u201d National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in a statement Monday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senior Emirati diplomat Anwar Gargash blamed the Houthis for the attack, saying on Twitter that Emirati authorities were handling the rebel group\u2019s \u201cvicious attack on some civilian facilities\u201d in the UAE\u2019s capital with \u201ctransparency and responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe tampering of the region\u2019s security by terrorist militias is too weak to affect the stability and safety in which we live,\u201d he tweeted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three transport tankers caught fire at the oil facility, while another fire was sparked at an extension of Abu Dhabi International Airport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Police said an investigation was underway and that preliminary findings indicate there were small flying objects, possibly belonging to drones, that fell in the two areas and may have caused the explosion and fire. They said there was no significant damage from the incidents, without offering further details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yemen\u2019s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels claimed they were behind an attack targeting the United Arab Emirates on Monday, but they did not offer details. Although the UAE has largely withdrawn its own forces from the war in Yemen, it is still actively engaged in the conflict and supports Yemeni militias fighting the Houthis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The incident comes as the Houthis face pressure and are suffering heavy losses. Yemeni forces, allied and backed by the UAE, have pushed back the rebels in key southern and central provinces, dashing Houthi efforts to complete their control of the entire northern half of Yemen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yemen\u2019s government-aligned forces reclaimed the entire southern province of Shabwa from the Houthis earlier this month and made advances in nearby Marib province. They were aided by the UAE-backed Giants Brigades and had help from Saudi airstrikes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saudi Arabia condemned Monday\u2019s attack targeting Abu Dhabi, describing it as \u201ca cowardly terrorist attack\u201d that shows the dangers posed by the Houthis. Saudi Arabia, as well as the United States, U.N. experts and others have accused Iran of supplying arms to the Houthis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The UAE was a key member of the Saudi-led coalition that has waged war against the Houthis since 2015, trying to restore the internationally backed government, ousted by the rebels the previous year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Emirati troops have been killed over the course of the conflict, now in its eight year, the war has not directly affected daily life in the wider UAE, a country with a vast foreign workforce that is also home to Dubai, a glitzy city of skyscrapers and five-star hotels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The airport fire in Abu Dhabi was described by police as \u201cminor\u201d and took place at an extension of the international airport that is still under construction. For years, the airport home to Etihad Airways has been building its new Midfield Terminal, but it was not clear if that was where the fire took place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Etihad Airways said \u201cprecautionary measures resulted in a short disruption for a small number of flights\u201d and that airport operations have returned to normal. Abu Dhabi Airports did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The other blast struck three petroleum transport tankers near a complex for the Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. in the Musaffah industrial area. The company describes it as a pipeline and terminal facility located some 22 kilometers (13 miles) from the center of the city of Abu Dhabi, where 36 storage tanks also supply transport trucks carrying fuel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is also a short distance from Al-Dhafra Air Base, a military installation that hosts U.S. and French forces. U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Andrew Clark, the Al-Dhafra Air Base commander for American forces, said in a statement to The Associated Press that \u201cno incidents\u201d affected the base amid the attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cU.S. forces are ready and available to assist and support their Emirati partners if requested,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The location of the ADNOC facility where the tankers caught fire is approximately 1,800 kilometers (1,100 miles) northeast of Saada, the Houthis\u2019 stronghold in Yemen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The incident comes as South Korea\u2019s President Moon Jae-in is visiting the UAE. During a meeting with Emirati Prime Minister and Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum on Sunday, the two countries reportedly reached a preliminary deal valued at some $3.5 billion sell mid-range South Korean surface-to-air missiles to the UAE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At an event attended by the South Korean president earlier in the day, Emirati Energy Minister Suhail al-Mazrouei declined to comment on the explosion at ADNOC\u2019s facility, telling the AP only that police would provide updates on their investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Houthis have used bomb-laden drones to launch crude and imprecise attacks aimed at Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The group has also launched missiles at Saudi airports, oil facilities and pipelines, and used booby-trapped boats for attacks in key shipping routes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earlier this month, the Houthis seized an Emirati-flagged ship in the Red Sea<\/a>, a crucial route for international trade and energy shipments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though there have been civilian deaths in Saudi Arabia from Houthi attacks, there had been no deaths previously reported in the UAE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The overwhelming number of civilian deaths in the conflict have been in Yemen. The war has killed 130,000 people in Yemen \u2014 both civilians and fighters \u2014 and has exacerbated hunger and famine across the impoverished country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Torbjorn Soltvedt, an analyst at the risk intelligence company Verisk Maplecroft, noted that while the Houthis have claimed responsibility for an attack on the UAE, Iraqi-based militias have also threatened the UAE in response to alleged Emirati interference in Iraqi politics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said the attack highlights the missile and drone threat faced by the UAE and the region\u2019s other main oil producers. He said unless Gulf Arab states find a solution to diffuse wider regional tensions \u201cthey will remain vulnerable to attacks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Associated Press writers Isabel DeBre and Jon Gambrell in Dubai and Samy Magdy in Cairo contributed to this report. Military Times senior managing editor Howard Altman also contributed to this report.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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