Houthis wanted to kill maximum number of civilians in Abu Dhabi, says UAE envoy

The UN Security Council unanimously condemned the deadly attacks on Abu Dhabi by Yemen's Houthi rebels as "heinous terrorist attacks" and called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.

The declaration on the Houthis came after an apparent drone attack by the rebels near oil storage facilities in Abu Dhabi left two Indians and a Pakistani dead.

Speaking after the Security Council meeting, UAE Ambassador to the United Nations Lana Nusseibeh said the coalition fighting Yemen's Houthi rebels is committed to "proportionate" responses to Houthi attacks.

Lana Nusseibeh said that Houthis wanted to kill the maximum number of civilians and inflict major damage to facilities in Abu Dhabi.

Lana told reporters that an investigation into the strikes revealed that Sanaa was amongst other places in Yemen from where the cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and drones were launched.

Abu Dhabi Police said "small flying objects" were found at both sites, pointing to a deliberate attack using drones — a hallmark of the Houthis. Six civilians were injured in the attacks.

"The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the heinous terrorist attacks in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Monday, 17 January, as well as in other sites in Saudi Arabia," the council said in a statement drafted by the United Arab Emirates.

"The members of the Security Council underlined the need to hold perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice."

The statement said the attacks were claimed by the Houthis, and took a strong stance by labelling them as "terrorist." It was released ahead of a special closed session of the Security Council requested by the UAE, a non-permanent member of the council since Jan.1.

The declaration on the Houthis came after an apparent drone attack by the Iran-backed rebels near oil storage facilities in Abu Dhabi left two Indians and a Pakistani dead.

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Separately, a prison in Saada — the home city of the Houthi rebel movement — was struck, killing at least 70, according to Doctors without Borders.

President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, condemned the attacks by the Houthi terrorist militia on civil sites and facilities in the UAE, as contravening all international laws and norms, decrying them a serious threat to regional peace and security.

This came in a phone call with His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, wherein Kagame expressed his country's solidarity with the UAE and its support in all the measures the Emirates takes to protect its security, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The President of Rwanda also offered his condolences to Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed over the victims of the attacks, wishing a speedy recovery for the injured. Sheikh Mohamed thanked President Kagame for his sincere feelings, and for his country's support and solidarity with the UAE, wishing Rwanda and its people continued stability and security.

Mohamed Bin Zayed received phone calls from Presidents of Angola, Ivory Coast, King of Lesotho On the other hand, Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, received a phone call from Ioannis Kasoulides, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus.

The Cypriot top diplomat affirmed his condemnation and denunciation of the terrorist attack by the terrorist Houthi militia on civil facilities in the UAE. Tanzania condemned the Houthi militia's terrorist attacks on civil areas and facilities in the UAE, during a phone call between Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and Liberata Mulamula, Tanzania's Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation.

During the conversation, Mulamula emphasised her country's solidarity with the UAE regarding this terrorist act, which threatens the security and stability of the region.

Dr Anwar Bin Mohammed Gargash, the Diplomatic Advisor to His Highness the UAE President, received a phone call yesterday evening from Hans Grundberg, the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen.

During the call, Dr Gargash reviewed the nature of the terrorist attack carried out by the Houthi militia on civilian targets in the UAE.

Dr Gargash underscored that the UAE has the legal and moral right to defend its land, people and sovereignty, and will exercise this right to defend itself and prevent terrorist acts pursued by the Houthi militia, which has been expanding for three years while rejecting all calls for a ceasefire and a political solution to the crisis. This is confirmed by the recent unjustified terrorist attack on civilian targets in the UAE, and prior to that, the criminal act of piracy against the "Rawabi" ship, in a clear threat to international shipping routes.

Agencies/ WAM