Agency Report
The United Arab Emirates shot down a ballistic missile fired by Yemen’s Huthi rebels during a visit by Israel’s president Monday, the latest attack to rattle the Middle East financial hub.
Nobody was hurt in the early-hours attack, the third in consecutive weeks on the wealthy Gulf nation that is part of the Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen’s Iran-backed insurgents.
“Air defence forces… intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the Huthi terrorist group at the UAE,” the defence ministry said, according to the official WAM news agency.
It said fragments of debris fell ‘outside of populated areas,’ without giving further details.
The ministry said it responded by destroying the missile launch site in Yemen’s northern Al-Jawf region, releasing black-and-white footage of the explosion.
The latest rebel missile was fired as Isaac Herzog makes the first visit to the UAE by an Israeli president, after the countries established diplomatic ties under the 2020 Abraham Accords.
Herzog, who met Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan on Sunday, visited Dubai’s Expo 2020 site on Monday and held talks with the UAE Prime Minister and ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum.
Herzog will “continue his visit as planned”, his office said earlier, as the United States condemned the Huthi attack.
“While Israel’s president is visiting the UAE to build bridges and promote stability across the region, the Huthis continue to launch attacks that threaten civilians,” State Department spokesman Ned Price tweeted.
