The Yemeni forces fighting off a Saudi-led coalition attacked Abu Dhabi's
international airport in the United Arab Emirates with a drone on Thursday.
According to Al-Masirah TV, the Sammad-3 drone has launched three attacks on the
airport.
While the Emirati official have denied the attack and Abu Dhabi airport says
there was an incident involving a supply vehicle, Spokesperson for Yemen’s Air
Force General Abdullah al-Jafri said the armed drone flew 1,500 km before it
reached Abu Dhabi's airport.
The general also said the drone attack shows that Yemen has changed a lot and
that the Yemeni forces are capable of launching attacks against the vital sites
of the Saudi-Emirati-led military coalition which has been pounding Yemen since
2015.
"Our attack on Abu Dhabi airport shows our forces are no paper tiger like our
enemies claim," Al Jazeera quoted Jafri as telling Al-Masirah TV on the phone.
"They mocked us before, but let me make it clear that the next stage will be
targeting the infrastructure of our enemies in Saudi and the UAE," the general
underscored.
Although the UAE official have denied the attack on Abu Dhabi airport, people on
social media noted many flights at the airport had been delayed.
Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdul-Salam told Al Jazeera Arabic by phone the UAE
denial was "baseless".
"It is a lie. They cannot deny the new reality on the ground," Abdul-Salam said.
"We don't understand the hype when it comes to our attacks. We are in a state of
war. We are being attacked every day. Our people are being slaughtered every
single day. Our cities, our airports are being targeted by the Saudi-UAE
coalition. So, why are they surprised by us attacking their positions?"
The drone strike came a day after Yemenis targeted two Saudi oil tankers in the
Red Sea, prompting Riyadh to temporarily suspend the transport of oil supplies
through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
Saudi Arabia has been leading a deadly campaign against Yemen from the air,
land, and sea since March 2015 in an attempt to reinstate former president Abd
Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a staunch ally of Riyadh, and to undermine the Houthi
Ansarullah movement.
Over the past three years, the Houthis have been running state affairs and
defending Yemeni people against the Saudi aggression.
The aggression has killed over 14,000 people and taken a heavy toll on the
country's facilities and infrastructure, destroying many hospitals, schools, and
factories.
Source: Tasnim