US warns of possible missile or drone attack on Abu Dhabi amid gas tank explosion reports

United States embassy in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Wednesday issued an alert warning of a possible new missile or drone attack that may have occurred over Abu Dhabi on 9 February. The American mission in the UAE had advised US citizens to “immediately follow the safety actions listed below and stay alert in case of additional future attacks”, stated Sputnik.

It is to note that the United States's warning to its citizens came after media reports stated that the alert may have been triggered by a gas explosion in a building in downtown Abu Dhabi today with law enforcement fearing a possible terror attack. On Wednesday, a fire caused by a gas explosion was put out in the UAE capital, said authorities and warned the general public against spreading any sort of rumour especially when a flurry of attacks take place in the Gulf country. 

According to the WAM agency, civil defence teams in Abu Dhabi evacuated a building and no casualties were recorded. The latest reports of the gas explosion came after the Iran-backed Houthi militants claimed responsibility for three attacks on the Gulf nation which is also the business hub of the Middle East. Recently, the UAE had also said that it has intercepted three hostile-intent drones and destroyed them after they intruded into the nation's airspace on 2 February.

US bolstering support for UAE amid Houthi attacks

Amid fresh tensions between the Saudi Arabia-led coalition and the Houthis in Yemen, the United States military has stepped up support to the United Arab Emirates, which is also part of the coalition. According to VOA report, US General Frank Mckenzie, the head of the US Central Command monitoring the American forces in the Middle East has been in the UAE in a bid to bolster the defences against such missile and drone attacks on the Gulf nation. 

According to the media report, analysts have said that the attacks on the Gulf nation could dent UAE’s reputation as a stable business and tourist hub with tough security. Mckenzie even indicated that the Houthi rebels’ battlefield setbacks may have triggered recent attacks on UAE. 

It is pertinent to note that the seven-year-old Yemen War has pit Houthis against the coalition including UAE. The conflict, according to VOA, has been viewed as a proxy war involving Iran which backs the rebels. The war has led to the killing of thousands of Yemenis and has even sparked one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. Meanwhile, both US and the United Nations (UN) officials have documented Iran smuggling high-end weapons to the Houthis. 

McKenzie was quoted by the media outlet as saying, “Medium-range ballistic missiles that were fired from Yemen and entered UAE were not invented, built, designed in Yemen…So, I think we certainly see the Iranian connection to this”.

(Image: AP)