The authorities in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi announced that an explosion occurred in tanks transporting petroleum products, killing 3 people. It also reported a fire near Abu Dhabi Airport, and said it suspected drones, at a time when the Houthis in Yemen announced the launch of a military operation in the UAE. .

Abu Dhabi Police said today, Monday, that a fire led to the explosion of 3 tanks transporting petroleum products in the Musaffah Industrial Area near the tanks of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), and a "slight" fire occurred in the new construction area at Abu Dhabi International Airport.

The Emirates News Agency quoted the police as saying that preliminary investigations indicate that "small flying objects, possibly belonging to drones, were detected in the two areas, which may have caused the explosion and fire," adding that it is currently conducting an extensive investigation.

The police confirmed that the explosion of petroleum tanks "resulted in the death of a person of Pakistani nationality and two people of Indian nationality, and the injury of 6 others, with moderate and minor injuries."


On the other hand, the Houthi military spokesman said that they will issue a statement within hours to announce a "qualitative military operation in the UAE."

These developments coincided with the visit of South Korean President Moon Jae-in to the UAE.

A South Korean presidential palace official said that a scheduled summit between Moon and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi was canceled due to unexpected developments.

Drone escalation

Meanwhile, the Saudi Press Agency said that the coalition - led by Saudi Arabia in Yemen - destroyed 8 drones launched towards the Kingdom on Monday.

The coalition had said earlier that it had detected a hostile escalation using drones by the Houthis, noting that a number of drones had taken off from Sanaa International Airport.

An important statement for the armed forces to announce a qualitative military operation in the UAE in the coming hours.

- Brigadier General Yahya Saree (@army21ye) January 17, 2022

In response to the coalition statement, a member of the Houthi political bureau, Muhammad al-Bakhiti, said that he did not know where the drones were launched, but indicated that the statement that they were launched from Sanaa airport comes as an excuse to target the airport.

He added that the group's military assured him that today's strike that targeted Abu Dhabi was painful, and that it was only the beginning if the UAE did not stop its aggression, he said.

He warned the UAE that the military operation is still ongoing, and that it is in its infancy, stressing that his group deals with great patience with the UAE, he said.

consecutive convictions

In response to today's events, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement, "We condemn in the strongest and strongest terms the cowardly terrorist attack that targeted Abu Dhabi Airport."

The Bahraini Foreign Ministry also said in a statement that it strongly condemns "the terrorist Houthi militia's launch of a number of booby-trapped drones on vital civilian facilities in Abu Dhabi."

The Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it condemned "the cowardly terrorist aggression that targeted civilian areas in the UAE," and considered that the continuation of such attacks "confirms the seriousness of the behavior of these militias."

pic.twitter.com/uSE2O1l3G0

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs (@MOFAKuwait) January 17, 2022

In Lebanon, the head of the Lebanese Forces Party, Samir Geagea, denounced the Houthis' targeting of the UAE and what he described as the daily attacks on Saudi Arabia.

In a statement, Geagea said that what the Houthis are doing falls within the context of "the described bullying that aims to push the Arab countries to retreat from their position in support of Yemeni legitimacy and the legitimacy of the various targeted countries."

It is noteworthy that in 2019, the Houthis broadcast a video 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.