Israeli Foreign Minister Yair LapidTEL AVIV, Jan 18Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid condemned the attack by the Yemeni Houthis on facilities in the UAE and called on the international community to strongly condemn such attacks. On Monday, a series of explosions occurred in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi, the cause, according to local police, was an attack by drones. In particular, three fuel tanks exploded near the fuel depots of the National Oil Company of the United Arab Emirates, another explosion led to a small fire in the area of new buildings of the Abu Dhabi airport. As a result of the explosion of the tanks, three people were killed — one Pakistani and two Indians, and six more people were injured. Yemeni rebels claimed responsibility for the shelling of the UAE capital, saying they launched an operation on the territory of the Emirates in response to their participation in hostilities against the Houthis in Yemen. «Israel expresses its support for the UAE and calls on the international community to strongly condemn such attacks and act immediately to deprive Iran and its proxies of the tools to further undermine regional security and harm innocent people,» Lapid said. The UAE Foreign Ministry said that the country reserves the right to respond «to these terrorist attacks.» Since August 2014, armed confrontation between government forces and the Houthis has continued in Yemen. Since 2015, an Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE has been fighting on the side of the government. Despite the fact that the UAE previously announced the end of participation in military operations in Yemen, they left their military at the military bases they created in Yemeni ports. In recent weeks, the UAE has taken part in government-backed fighting against the Houthis in several Yemeni provinces, including reclaiming areas in the southeastern province of Shebwa under government control.
Media: Arab coalition announced the beginning of the bombing of the capital of Yemen
