Abu Dhabi Bombing—Israel’s President Isaac Herzog was in Abu Dhabi on Sunday when the United Arab Emirates reported that it had shot down a ballistic missile fired at it.
According to Herzog’s spokesman, President Herzog has been informed about the event, and his visit is scheduled to go through as planned. According to the statement, “the president and his entourage were not and are not in any danger.”
As the UAE Defense Ministry put it, “air defenses intercepted and destroyed an Iranian-launched ballistic missile” aimed at Saudi Arabia. According to the Ministry of Defense, there were no reports of injuries or damage after the missile was intercepted. An earlier Iranian-backed organization official indicated that the Yemeni rebels would soon reveal the details of a military operation in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) deep in the country.
This was the UAE’s third attack in a month. The first attack, on January 17, resulted in the deaths of three foreign workers; the second, a week later, was foiled. To defend Yemen’s government against the Houthi rebels, the United Arab Emirates has joined a Saudi-led military coalition due to the recent Abu Dhabi Bombing. The UAE withdrew its soldiers from Yemen in 2019, yet it is still a significant influence. Houthi rebels captured the capital of Sanaa in 2014, leading Saudi-led forces to invade and support the government the following year.
The UAE’s top prosecutor has warned that anyone caught filming or posting photographs of Houthi strikes will be prosecuted. Journalists have a difficult time reporting on such situations because of this.
A black-and-white video produced by the Emirati Defense Ministry claims to show the destruction of a ballistic missile launcher in Yemen’s al-Jawf area 30 minutes after Sunday night’s attack in recent Abu Dhabi Bombing. Al-Jawf was hit by a similar strike just minutes after another raid last week, raising the possibility that the Emiratis are receiving intelligence help from the West.
Some 1,350 miles southwest of Abu Dhabi, Al-Jawf is located. An attack occurred shortly after Herzog and his wife arrived in Abu Dhabi for the first official visit to the United Arab Emirates by an Israeli president.
The UAE’s Foreign Minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, greeted the president and first lady with a 21-gun salute and played both countries’ national anthems. After that, they had lunch with Herzog’s delegation and then had a working meeting. His next stop was an extensive two-hour meeting with UAE Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, the country’s most influential and charismatic leader. After the conference, Bin Zayed invited Herzog to a private meeting at his palace.
The de facto leader of the UAE, Bin Zayed, expressed gratitude to Herzog for Israel’s condemnation of the Houthi attacks, and Herzog thanked him.
Premier Naftali Bennett “directed the Israeli security establishment to offer their UAE counterparts whatever aid” last week, which might help protect against future assaults. In a letter to Bin Zayed, he stated, “Israel stands with the UAE.” The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi has my full support. In the face of terrorism, the globe must unite.
A representative for the US State Department, Ned Price, expressed outrage at the Houthi attack in recent Abu Dhabi bombing. He posted on Twitter: “While the Israeli President is in the UAE, the Houthis continue to commit attacks that harm civilians,” while building bridges and stabilizing the region.
Due to the missile and drone threat in the Abu Dhabi bombing, the US State Department has upgraded its travel alert for the Gulf state on Wednesday.
The travel warning stated that “the threat of attacks affecting US individuals and interests in the Gulf and Arabian Peninsula remains an ongoing, severe concern. “Yemeni rebel groups have expressed their intention to use missiles and drones to strike neighboring nations, particularly the UAE—hence the recent Abu Dhabi bombing. Recent missile and drone attacks have targeted civilian infrastructure and populated areas.
UAN policy director Jason Brodsky told The Times of Israel that the Expo might be a tempting target for Houthi rebels before the Abu Dhabi bombing because of Israel Day and Herzog’s visit.
According to him, “they’re trying to raise costs for the Emirates in this way.” UAE officials want to turn the country into a hostile economic climate for the foreign community, and it would be in keeping with this goal to target the Dubai Expo.
Expo 2020 Dubai commissioner-general Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, UAE premier Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, and Emirati business executives are among the people Herzog will meet when he travels to Dubai.
President Netanyahu will inaugurate Israel’s National Day at Expo 2020 in Dubai on the same day.
The United States-brokered Abraham Accords in 2020 brought Israel and the United Arab Emirates into the open after more than a decade of covert contact.
Expats Amidst the Abu Dhabi Bombing
Dean Williams was terrified when he awoke at 4.20 a.m. to the sound of explosions.
While he had lived in Abu Dhabi for nearly a decade with his wife, he began to worry about their safety when the building started to shake.
“Great. As I prepare to leave for the UAE on Wednesday, I’m going to have to deal with the COVID police and evade incoming missiles. Even so, some of those Premier League footballers might be able to avoid it.”
That’s what one Times reader commented in response to an article about two missiles being shot down during the Abu Dhabi bombing this week, illuminating the night sky.
Three persons were killed a week earlier when a fuel tank exploded at a storage site.
Since 2011, Houthi rebels, supported by Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates (UAE), have attacked Yemen’s government.
Ironically, the reader’s comment makes light of the UAE’s shaky reputation as a safe tourism destination and a stable economic hub in the Middle East. A critical stage of the fight in Yemen means that missiles will undoubtedly continue to be launched, with the Houthis only needing one lucky break, as the Irish Republican Army famously said regarding their 1970s bombing of the UK mainland.
Getting a missile into one of those luxurious hotels that make up the Emirati skyline during the Abu Dhabi bombing would be devastating to the country’s reputation as a safe and secure adult playground for the rich and famous.
With a goal of 25 million tourists a year and 100,000 businesses by 2025, Dubai is the fourth most popular tourist destination globally.
Ahead of the Club World Cup, which will feature European champions Chelsea, FIFA insists the event will be in Abu Dhabi next month. Those Premier League stars aren’t showing any indications of quitting for the time being.
United players Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard, and Diogo Dalot are currently enjoying the UAE’s warm weather as part of their winter vacation. All of us were pictured at the gym in Dubai simultaneously, and Harry Maguire and Jordan Pickford, the England goalkeeper for Everton, were playing golf nearby.
As a result, the Emiratis’ deployment of a multi-billion-dollar defense system on Monday to intercept the impending threat from Houthi ballistic missiles has increased the danger for Saudi Arabia since the Abu Dhabi bombing.
It is not unexpected that Abu Dhabi has sought the United States for assistance in boosting its missile defenses in a future missile assault.
During the Abu Dhabi bombing, the 380th Expeditionary Wing at Al Dhafra airbase in Abu Dhabi, which houses 2,000 US military members, was forced to take cover in bunkers.
Abu Dhabi has been threatened by the Houthis, who have pledged to continue their attacks and threaten to strike Dubai’s tourism and financial sectors. The renowned Dubai Burj al Arab and Burj Khalifa and other prominent targets have even been threatened in cyberspace.
