The UAE and Saudi Arabia on Monday, January 24, said they had been attacked by Houthi rebels from Yemen.
Both countries said the Houthis launched missiles at them.
The latest escalation in violence comes exactly a week after the Houthis carried out a drone attack on the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi.
Local reports said the Houthis’ spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed in a televized statement: “We are ready to expand the operation during the next phase and confront escalation with escalation.”
In the UAE
The UAE air defense forces have intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles targeting the country, the Ministry of Defense announced on Monday.
The ministry said the missiles had been fired by the Houthi “terrorist militia.”
The ministry confirmed that there were no casualties resulting from the attack.
The ministry also said fragments of the ballistic missiles fell in different areas around the UAE capital Abu Dhabi, the site of a drone attack by the Yemeni group.
That attack, from exactly a week ago, had seen three people killed.
In its statement, the ministry affirmed on Monday its “full readiness to deal with any threats.”
It added that it would “take all necessary measures to protect the UAE from any attacks.”
Meanwhile, the January 17 attack elicited widespread condemnation from across the world.
Even the United Nations Security Council condemned the attack.
The ministry later said it had destroyed the launcher from where the missiles originated.
It also released a video of the targeting and destruction of the launcher.
Watch the video here:
تعلن قيادة العمليات المشتركة بوزارة الدفاع عن (نجاح) طائرة F16 الساعة 0410 توقيت اليمن من تدمير منصة إطلاق الصواريخ البالستية مديرية الحزم بالجوف فور اطلاقها صاروخين بالستيين على أبوظبي واللذان تم اعتراضهما (بنجاح) من قبل دفاعاتنا الجوية مرفق فيديو استهداف منصة الصواريخ البالستية pic.twitter.com/SRIZ65vla3
— وزارة الدفاع |MOD UAE (@modgovae) January 24, 2022
In Saudi Arabia
The official spokesman for the General Directorate of Civil Defense in Saudi Arabia, Lt Col Mohammad Al-Hammadi, was quoted by the official Saudi Press Agency as saying that they had received a report of the fall of a hostile object within Saudi territory.
He claimed the object was launched by the Iran-backed terrorist Houthi militia from inside Yemeni territory towards Ahad Al-Masarihah governorate in the Jazan region.
Al-Hammadi said Civil Defense teams and the competent authorities rished to the site.
They reportedly determined that it was a hostile ballistic missile that fell on a number of car workshops.
He said the attack had led to two Sudanese and Bangladeshi nationals sustaining minor injuries.
The injured are said to have been transferred to receive the necessary medical care.
There was apparently also some material damage to vehicles and industrial workshops from flying shrapnel.
Al-Hammadi said attempts to target civilians and civilian objects were a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.
الدفاع المدني: إصابتان لمقيمَيْن وأضرار مادية جراء سقوط صاروخ باليستي معادٍ أطلقته الميليشيا الحوثية الإرهابية على المدنيين والأعيان المدنية بمحافظة أحد المسارحة. pic.twitter.com/ZpASMKIAsy
— الدفاع المدني السعودي (@SaudiDCD) January 23, 2022