UAE Ambassador Confirms Abu Dhabi Hit By Ballistic Missiles, Cruise Missiles, Not Just Drones
Good day from REEDNEWSARABWORLD for Thursday, January 20, 2022! UAE ambassador to the U.S. Yousef al-Otaiba officially confirmed what most already believed -- that Yemen's Houthis struck Abu Dhabi with a series of "several attacks" and used both ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, in addition to drones.
Ballistic missiles are more like rockets, following a flight path and traveling an arc. Cruise missiles follow a straighter, lower-altitude trajectory. Drones can be fired with laser-guided missiles.
Otaiba said some missiles were intercepted but others "didn't," and questions are being raised about the United Arab Emirates' ability to deter attacks. The UAE pledged to retaliate, and there are indications it doesn't want to do so alone.
News interpretations about the seriousness of the attack range from a headline in the UAE's Khaleej Times -- "nonsensical" -- to a Jerusalem Post writer's warning that the attack was a "message to the region and the U.S. as well as the UAE."
United States officials know there's nothing nonsensical about a missile attack only 20 miles from the Al Dhafra air base. The UAE base houses "380 AFW," shorthand for the U.S. Air Force's 380th Air Expeditionary Wing and its F-35 Lightning fighter jets. If you haven't heard of the base, that's because the U.S. kept its presence secret until only five years ago, after arriving in the early 1990s. The French are also on base with Dassault Mirage fighters.
A STORY OF TWO CITIES, WASHINGTON AND TEHRAN
Forty-one years ago, on January 20, 1981, just as Ronald Reagan took the oath of office in Washington as president of the United States, American Ambassador Bruce Laingen left Tehran, leading a newly-freed group of 53 U.S. embassy employees out of 444 days of captivity. His wife. Penelope, had famously tied a yellow ribbon to a tree in front of their home and, all over America, trees had sprouted yellow ribbons. The embassy in Tehran had been sacked by Iranian protesters in 1979, with 98 people taken hostage.
Some years later, Bruce Laingen and I worked together on a project in Washington, as close as two people could work in one small office. One sunny day we walked on a path through Lafayette Park across from the White House. The park was still the site of demonstrations about Iran. The calls and cries from the crowd reminded him of Tehran, where he had insisted to his captors that the American flag be flown every day, even though they had closed his embassy.
I said something critical about Iran, and he immediately corrected me: "No, we must keep working with them. They are good people." He referred not to the regime, but to the people of Iran.
Bruce Laingen died in 2019. Penny Laingen died last April. The embassy in Tehran is used as a museum by a volunteer wing of Iran's Revolutionary Guard.
Yousef Al Otaiba, the United Arab Emirates ambassador to the US, said UAE air defenses intercepted some missiles striking Abu Dhabi but missed others. "Several were intercepted, a few them didn't, and three innocent civilians lost their lives," he said. The attacks were "several" and included "a combination of cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and drones." Otaiba didn't specify the number of missiles, but the Houthis said they fired five ballistic missiles and a number of the explosive-laden drones. The Houthis claimed they also targeted Dubai's airport, but there was no indication that Dubai was hit in the attack.
Military.com, UAE envoy: Yemen's Houthis used missiles in Abu Dhabi attack.
Yousef Al Otaiba also called for the United States to again designate the Yemen Houthis as an "FTO," or foreign terrorist organization. U.S. President Joe Biden had lifted the designation soon after he took office in 2021 when his administration thought peace talks could be jump-started in Yemen. The Trump administration had applied the terrorist label to the Houthis, as well as naming them a specially- designated global terrorist entity and naming three Houthi leaders as specially-designated terrorists.
Al Arabiya, UAE asks US to re-designate Houthis as terror group after attack on Abu Dhabi.
Jerusalem Post, UAE asks US to re-designate Houthis as terror group after drone attack - report.
President Joe Biden said he is considering restoring the terror listing for Yemen's Houthis. After the request from UAE Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba,, Biden acknowledged at a news conference that he was considering placing the label on the Yemen rebel group, which has claimed responsibility for the missile attack on Abu Dhabi. Al Otaiba's request was preceded by several months of statements by Saudi Arabia and the UAE that the Houthis were terrorists and should be so designated.
Associated Press, Biden considers restoring terror listing of Yemen's Houthis.
Reuters, Biden says administration mulling re-designating Yemen's Houthis as terrorist group.
The deadly attacks on Abu Dhabi jeopardize the United Arab Emirates' reputation as a safe haven for tourism and trade. Analysts said the missile and drone attacks exposed the UAE's vulnerability.
In London, Andreas Krieg of King's College said: "This attack brings home to the UAE that they were playing the game of a major power in the region," but the Houthi strike made the country realize that "they are, after all, a small state with a lot of vulnerabilities." Krieg said the greatest damage was to the UAE portrayal of a "safe and secure country to do business."
Marc-Owen Jones of Hamad bin Khalifa University said that "crucially, it also casts doubt on their ability to build a nuclear power station," referring to the UAE's nuclear energy ambitions.
Al Jazeera, Houthi drone attacks expose UAE vulnerabilities, say analysts.
The United Arab Emirates has yet to respond to the Houthi attack on Abu Dhabi, and analysts believe that's because Iran likely had involvement. "I think they had to at least inform Iran, to get some sort of approval," Yoel Guzansky at Tel Aviv's Institute for National Security Studies said. Others said there had to be more involvement, that just before the attack, Houthi delegates met in Tehran with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, and had met earlier with Iran's foreign minister when he visited Oman.
Times of Israel, Despite deadly oil field strike by Iranian proxy, UAE careful not to escalate.
A detailed article in Iran's Tasnim News laid out a blow-by-blow account of the Houthi attack on the United Arab Emirates. A writer for the Jerusalem Post examined the article and said it's "likely the fullest explanation yet as to what was behind it and Iran's next steps." Tasnim, close to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, made clear the attack came because the UAE had reinvigorated its support for the Yemen government forces after an "unwritten and unofficial ceasefire" between Abu Dhabi and Sanaa, the Houthi capital in Yemen.
Jerusalem Post, Iran reveals key details of Yemen Houthi attack on UAE - analysis.
Khaleej Times, Houthi nonsensical attacks will not have an impact on UAE security and stability, experts say.
Israel has successfully tested a system that intercepts ballistic missiles outside the earth's atmosphere. Israel's defense ministry said its Arrow Weapon System detected its target and fired two Arrow 3 interceptors at it. "Our systems provide Israel with the freedom to maneuver strategically," Benny Gantz, defense minister, said.
Associated Press, Israel says it successfully tests long range missile defense.
U.S. special envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking will return to the Gulf and try to revive a peace process with the rebel Houthis. The U.S. State Department issued a statement saying Lenderking "will press the parties to de-escalate militarily and seize the new year to participate fully in an inclusive U.N.-led peace process."
Reuters, U.S. Yemen envoy heads to Gulf after attacks, to press for peacemaking.
Saudi Arabia's Prince Khalid bin Salman wants to bring Yemen into the GCC system. Prince Khalid, son of King Salman and younger brother of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is deputy defense minister of Saudi Arabia, and he reacted sharply to the attack on Abu Dhabi by Yemen's Houthi militias. "The Houthi militias have chosen terrorism and destruction and used the people of Yemen as firewood," he said.
Prince Khalid reaffirmed that Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Cooperation Council countries are striving to bring in Yemen. "We assure the people of Yemen that they are from us and we are from them, and we will always be on their side."
Saudi Gazette, Khalid bin Salman: We're striving to bring Yemen within the GCC system.
Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi met in Moscow with Vladimir Putin and called their meeting a "turning point." The two countries are working on a long-term bilateral cooperation agreement, after a previous 20-year agreement expired. It could have been automatically renewed for five years, but both sides agreed they needed improvements.
Al Jazeera, Iran's Raisi says Moscow visit 'turning point' in bilateral ties.
Saudi Arabian authorities are warning that anyone spreading baseless rumors on social media can face up to five years in prison and huge fines. The warning came after a concert was cancelled in Riyadh and some young women posted on social media that they had been sexually harassed on their way home. The Saudi entertainment minister tweeted and appeared to mock their claims. Britain's BBC said the reality is still unclear.
BBC, Saudis warned of jail time for posting rumours after harassment claims.
The Gulf Cooperation Council and South Korea agreed to continue free trade and start a new round of discussions, with an agreement to be signed within six months. GCC's Secretary General Nayef Al Hajraf and South Korea's minister of trade, Moon Sung-wook, said they are "opening wide prospects for trade and industrial cooperation."
Menafn, Gulf Cooperation Council, South Korea ink agreement to continue free trade.
Fresh attacks hitting Iraq's capital are threatening a new government. In just days, explosions targeted two banks associated with Kurdish politicians, a grenade was thrown at one political party's headquarters, then hours later a similar attack hit another Sunni politician's office. The worsening violence underscores the challenges faced by Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, leader of the parliament's largest bloc, to form a majority government.
Al Jazeera, Iraq faces growing violence as political rift deepens.
Jordan will supply Lebanon with electricity via Syria. Jordan will sign the agreement next week under a United States-backed plan to help Lebanon ease its acute power shortages. Lebanon will get 150 megawatts from midnight to 6 a.m., and 250 megawatts during the rest of the day.
Jerusalem Post, Jordan to sign deal to supply Lebanon with electricity - energy minister.
Tunisia has seen its first death in protests against President Kais Saied's seizure of powers. A Tunisian man died of wounds sustained in a crackdown by security forces, described by a campaign group as "excessive violence inflicted on the demonstrator." Rhida Bouziane was critically wounded, and a public prosecutor has launched an investigation into the case.
Middle East Eye, Tunisia: Protester dies from wounds in 'excessively violent' crackdown.
Reuters, Tunisian police killed man in first death of protests, opposition says.
Tunisia has been under a state of emergency since 2015, following an attack that killed presidential guards. Now President Kais Saied has extended the emergency to February 18.
Reuters, Tunisia extends state of emergency by a month till Feb. 18.
Sudanese protesters erected barricades and blocked roads in Sudan's capital of Khartoum as a general strike and civil disobedience campaign started. Neighborhood resistance committees and political parties called the strike after seven people were killed in a protest, one of the deadliest of a series of demonstrations since the October military coup.
Reuters, Roads in Sudan's capital barricaded as strike against protest deaths starts.
The United Nations wants Sudan's military to stop the killing spree. The UN human rights office condemned what it called brutal and disproportionate use of force by Sudan's security against peaceful protesters. Doctors in Sudan say more than 71 people have been killed and over 2,200 injured since a military coup was launched against Sudan's civilian government in October. UN monitors say atrocities are taking place on an almost daily basis.
Voice of America, UN calls on Sudan's military to end its killing spree of protesters.
Algeria is hosting representatives of the Palestinian Hamas movement for discussions on settling differences with Fatah. The two sides have been in disagreement since Hamas took power in Gaza in 2007.
New Arab, Hamas representatives in Algeria for discussions on mending Fatah tensions.
MORE: Saudi newspaper appoints rabbi as regular columnist, Israel Today... Libya aims to maintain oil output after elections delay, Associated Press... Libya's postponed elections not expected for another 6 to 8 months, Libya Herald... Kuwait discusses ways to cut emissions as temperatures rise, Arab News... Egypt achieves a $204m initial budget surplus in six months, Arab News... Egypt supports Somalia to counter Turkish influence, Al Monitor... Crucial Iraq-Turkey oil pipeline reopens after explosion, Bloomberg.
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