The UN Security Council condemned “in the strongest terms the heinous terrorist attacks launched in Abu Dhabi” by the Houthis on Monday, while the UAE affirmed its legal and moral right to defend its territory.
The Council stressed – in a statement issued unanimously today, Friday, according to diplomats – “the need to hold the perpetrators, masterminds, financiers and planners responsible for these terrorist acts, and refer them to the judiciary.”
On Wednesday, the UAE called on the United States to support the reclassification of the Yemeni Houthi group as a “terrorist organization”, in the wake of the attack on Abu Dhabi, which was claimed by the Houthis, noting that they used missiles and drones, and threatened to carry out other attacks, and called on civilians to stay away from “vital installations.”
A fire broke out in oil tankers near the tanks of the Abu Dhabi Oil Company (ADNOC), in addition to a fire in the construction area at Abu Dhabi Airport.
The Houthi attack resulted in the killing of 3 civilians and the injury of 6 others.
Following the attack, the Houthi military spokesman, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, confirmed that they would not hesitate to “expand the Bank of Targets to include more important sites and facilities during the coming period,” and called on foreign companies, citizens and residents of the UAE to stay away from vital sites and facilities for their own safety.
It is noteworthy that in 2019, the Houthis broadcast a video clip that they said was related to their targeting of facilities at Abu Dhabi International Airport in 2018, with a drone. However, the UAE denied that the airport had been attacked, and said that the accident at the airport was caused by a supply vehicle.
Emirati position
In this context, the Emirates News Agency quoted Anwar Gargash, diplomatic advisor to the President of the UAE, as saying that his country has the legal and moral right to defend its lands, population and sovereignty.
This came in a phone call made by Gargash with Hans Grundberg, the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations to Yemen.
Gargash indicated that the Houthi group refuses to engage in a political solution, and this is confirmed by the recent attack on civilian targets, he said.
He also stressed the need for a strong and firm position from the international community towards what he called the intransigence of the Houthis, stressing that his country continues to support international efforts for a ceasefire.
