Statements of support have been pouring in for the UAE, with many countries condemning the “cowardly terrorist attack” which killed three civilians including two Indian and one Pakistani nationals, reports Asian Lite Newsdesk
The world leaders, organisations have condemned the Houthi attack against UAE that killed three civilians and injured six others in Abu Dhabi.
Two Indian nationals are among the three people killed and six injured in the explosions in Abu Dhabi on Monday as three petroleum tanker trucks blew up after catching fire near a major oil storage facility in the Mussafah area of the capital of UAE.
His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, received a phone call from His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of Saudi Arabia who condemned the terrorist Houthi attack on civil facilities in the UAE.
The two leaders affirmed that such terrorist attacks that target the Kingdom of Saudi Araba and the UAE solidify the two nations’ determination to jointly stand up to these acts of aggression.
They added that these terrorist attacks affirm the need for the international community to stand up to these flagrant violations of international laws and norms and to condemn these terrorist crimes that threaten regional and international peace and security.
Abu Dhabi police said that the explosion involving three oil tankers and a fire in the construction site of the emirate’s new airport extension was potentially caused by drones.
“The fire provoked an explosion in three tanks for transporting fuel in the Misfah area near the fuel depots of the Emirati state-owned company ADNOC,” the police said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition destroyed 8 drones headed towards the kingdom, according to Al Jazeera.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree, at the same time as the attack, told the Almasirah broadcaster that the Yemeni rebel group will soon reveal details about the military operation in the UAE territory.
The UAE has been part of a Saudi-led military campaign against the Houthi rebels in Yemen since 2015. It intervened in Yemen’s civil war in 2015 as part of the Arab Coalition but scaled down its operations in 2019.
The official Spokesperson of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen Brigadier General Turki Al-Malki said the “hostile attacks of the terrorist, Iran-backed Houthi militia that deliberately targeted civilians, civilian objects and economic installations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates represent war crimes” and “the perpetrators of which must be held accountable.”
“Such crimes sound the alarm of the threat and danger this terrorist militia represents to regional and international security,” Al-Malki said in a statement.
The United states on Monday (local time) condemned the attack and vowed to stand beside Emirati partners against all threats to their territory.
“The United States strongly condemns today’s terrorist attack in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, which killed three innocent civilians. The Houthis have claimed responsibility for this attack, and we will work with the UAE and international partners to hold them accountable, read a statement by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.
“Our commitment to the security of the UAE is unwavering and we stand beside our Emirati partners against all threats to their territory,” added Sullivan.
UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss condemned the terrorist attacks. “I condemn in the strongest terms the Houthi-claimed terrorist attacks on the United Arab Emirates,” Truss tweeted.
France has condemned the attack “in the strongest terms.”
“These attacks threaten the security of the United Arab Emirates and regional stability,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said. “France expresses its support for the UAE in the face of these attacks,” he added.
Foreign Ministers of Jordan and Greece Ayman Al Safadi and Nikos Dendias respectively reiterated their country’s full solidarity with the UAE in all measures it is taking against threats to its security.
Yemeni Foreign Minister Dr. Ahmed Awad Bin Mubarak expressed strong condemnation and denunciation of the terrorist attack, saying it is an unprecedented escalation and a systematic assault on civil facilities and civilians.
ALSO READ: India working with UAE to bring back mortal remains of two Indians
Bahraini Foreign Minister Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani also affirmed the Kingdom of Bahrain’s full solidarity with and full support for the United Arab Emirates in the face of all threats to its security and stability.
Meanwhile, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri underlined Egypt’s firm position in supporting the security and stability of the United Arab Emirates and the close link between Egyptian national security and the security of the UAE.
UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres condemned the Houthi militia attack.
The Houthi militia has recently intensified cross-border drone and missile attacks against different Saudi cities. In February 2021, the Houthi militia launched a major offensive against the government army to capture the oil-rich province of Marib in central Yemen.
The Houthi group is on the radar of investigative agencies as they announced a terror attack plan against the UAE.