UAE Asks For Meeting Of UN Security Council To Condemn Attack on Abu Dhabi
Good day from REEDNEWSARABWORLD for Wednesday, January 19, 2022! The fallout from the attack on Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, continues. The UAE wants a meeting of the United Nations Security Council and is asking Norway, currently presiding, to call the session. The Saudi-led coalition promptly struck the Yemen Houthi capital of Sanaa, killing a senior Houthi official. The Houthis are fearful of being pushed out of Marib province in Yemen by the strong Giants Brigades, and if that happens, they will look to their only ally, Iran, for help.
Israel offers intelligence and security support to the UAE. Iran won't even acknowledge the deadly strike on Abu Dhabi, calling it only "recent Yemen-linked developments" and preaching against violence. But an Iran-backed militia in Iraq congratulates the Yemen Houthi rebels for the Abu Dhabi attack.
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The United Arab Emirates called on the United Nations Security Council to meet and "speak with one voice" and condemn the Yemen Houthi attack on Abu Dhabi.
"This illegal and alarming escalation is a further step in the Houthi efforts to spread terrorism and chaos in our region," Lana Nusseibeh, the UAE's permanent representative to the UN, said
The Houthis have unlawfully acquired capabilities -- read weapons from Iran -- in defiance of UN sanction, she said, and urged the Security Council to "join in firmly and unequivocally condemning these terrorist attacks."
The UAE request for the meeting was made in a letter to Norway, which holds the seat of council president for the month of January.
Asharq Al-Awsat, UAE calls for security council meeting after Houthi attacks.
Reuters, UAE calls for a meeting of UN security council to condemn recent Yemen 's Houthi attack.
A preliminary investigation by the United Arab Emirates into the Abu Dhabi attack shows that the rebel Houthis in Yemen fired advanced weaponry believed to have been made with assistance from Iran. The weapons included drones and cruise and ballistic missiles, and the attack marked one of the largest shows of force seen in the Middle East in years, demonstrating a more sophisticated capability than previously believed. In Saudi Arabia, Prince Khalid bin Salman, deputy defense minister and brother of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, blamed Iran and said the Houthis are "hostage to their regional backer,” which "treats our region's security as a mere negotiating card."
Middle East Eye, Inquiry says Yemen's Houthis fired missiles and drones at Abu Dhabi
Israel is offering security and intelligence support to the UAE. After the deadly strike on Abu Dhabi, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called the Houthi strike a "terrorist drone attack" and sent a letter to the UAE leader, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan.
"We stand ready to offer you security and intelligence support in order to help you protect your citizens from similar attacks," Bennett wrote. "I have ordered the Israeli security establishment to provide their counterparts in the UAE with any assistance." Israel and the UAE signed a normalization agreement in 2020, and questions are arising about the UAE's ability to defend against attacks.
Reuters, Israel offers UAE security, intelligence support after deadly Houthi attack.
As Yemen's Houthi rebels warn of more attacks on the United Arab Emirates, questions are raised both about what escalation means and how the Houthis got through UAE air defenses. In Washington, Paul Sullivan of the Atlantic Council said "This sort of escalation will come back to bite the Houthis badly." But, he said, "one has to wonder how the drones, if that is what happened, got through (UAE air defenses). This is worrisome for the UAE and the region."
Voice of America,Yemen's Houthi rebels warn of more attacks on UAE.
Iran struck an innocent note about the Houthi attack on the United Arab Emirates, calling the missile and drone bombardment "recent Yemen-linked developments" and saying military attacks aren't the solution. A spokesman did not refer directly to the attack but said "Iran has always emphasized that the solution to any of the regional crises is not resorting to war and violence." Iran is widely believed to supply armaments to the Houthis and to help the rebel militia manufacture its own advanced weaponry.
Al Arabiya, Iran comments on 'recent Yemen-linked developments': military attacks not a solution.
Reuters, Iran says waging war will not resolve regional crisis after Yemen flareups.
But an Iran-aligned militia in Iraq congratulated Yemen's Houthis for the attack on Abu Dhabi as ‘glory.’ "We congratulate the oppressed brothers in Yemen on the glory and steadfastness," the leader of the Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia, Qais al-Khazali said. Asaib Ahl al-Haq is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, and it is heavily funded and trained by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force.
Al Arabiya, Iraq's Iran-backed Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia 'congratulates' Houthis on UAE attack.
The attack on Abu Dhabi complicates the nuclear negotiations on Iran and ongoing talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Many regional analysts are pointing to Iran as the directing force behind the Houthi attack on the UAE capital, and Angus Blair of the University of Cairo said: "Nothing would have happened without Tehran's consent or direct engagement."
CNBC, UAE vows retaliation for Houthi-claimed attack, but questions emerge over potential Iran role.
Sharper international scrutiny of Iran's support for the Yemen Houthis is expected in the wake of the missile and drone attack on the UAE. The unprecedented raid on Abu Dhabi showed the Houthis can hit at long range, and they are raising the prospects of more strikes.
The assault may strengthen an argument made by Saudi Arabia and the UAE that the United States has emboldened the Houthis by prioritizing human rights issues in Yemen and misgivings about death rolls from Saudi coalition air strikes.
Reuters, UAE raid raises Yemen stakes, draws closer scrutiny of Iran allies.
As many as 20 people were killed in Yemen's capital of Sanaa in Gulf coalition airstrikes. The raids, the deadliest strikes on Sanaa since 2019, came within hours after the Yemen Houthis fired missiles and drones on the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi. The coalition also said it intercepted eight drones fired toward Saudi Arabia on the same day as the Abu Dhabi attack. The strikes on Sanaa struck the home of a high-ranking Houthi official, killing Major General Abdullah Qassem al-Junaid, head of the Aviation and Air Defense College in Sanaa.
The Independent, Up to 20 killed as Saudi-led coalition strikes back against Yemen's Houthis.
Voice of America, Around 20 killed in deadliest coalition strikes on Yemen's Sanaa since 2019.
The Guardian, Saudis hit back with deadly airstrikes in Yemen after Houthis' UAE drone attack.
Al Arabiya, Coalition airstrikes north of Sanaa killed Houthi leader Major General Abdullah Qassem al-Junaid.
Saudi Arabia and South Korea will cooperate on developing a hydrogen economy. Talks between the visiting president of South Korea, Moon Jae-in, and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ended in signing of preliminary deals to jointly develop green hydrogen, produced from renewable energy sources. South Korea will get carbon-neutral hydrogen and ammonia supplies from Saudi Arabia, and Seoul will help Riyadh to operate hydrogen-powered cars and hydrogen fueling stations.
Arab News, Saudi, Korean firms sign multiple business deals as countries partner on developing hydrogen economy.
A new United Nations report says Libya is officially holding 12,000 people in prison and thousand more are held illegally in secret facilities with inhumane conditions.
The report was issued by the secretary general of the UN, Antonio Guterres, and cites documentation by UNSMIL, the UN political mission to Libya. Guterres said the report shows cases of arbitrary detention, torture, sexual violence, and other violations of international law.
Some facilities are operated by the Libya government, others by armed groups, the report said.
Associated Press, UN chief: Over 12,000 detainees held officially in Libya.
Xinhua, Libyan deputy PM suggests expanding correction facilities in eastern Libya.
UN Secretary Antonio Guterres wants Libya to hold elections as soon as possible. Guterres urged the complete withdrawal of foreign forces and mercenaries from Libya, and he said all stakeholders should commit to free, fair and inclusive elections. He also called for a ceasefire agreement to be continued.
Libya Observer, UN secretary general calls for holding Libya elections as soon as possible.
An investigating judge in Lebanon ordered a freeze on some assets belonging to the country's central bank governor, Riad Salameh. Salameh has been accused of corruption and dereliction of duties, and he has denied all charges and allegations. The judge, Ghada Aoun, ordered the freeze "as a precautionary measure" as an investigation continues. Last week, Aoun issued a travel ban for Salameh in the same case.
Associated Press, Lebanese judge freezes assets of central bank governor
The Biden administration sanctioned three people in Lebanon for directly funding Hezbollah. Three businessmen and their travel agency were cited, and the U.S. Treasury Department said: "With this action, Treasury is disrupting businessmen who raise and launder funds for Hezbollah's destabilizing activities while the Lebanese people face worsening economic and humanitarian crises."
The National, US sanctions three Hezbollah financiers in Lebanon.
Middle East Eye, US slaps sanctions on Hezbollah-linked businessmen in Lebanon.
Iran has put on trial an Iranian ethnic Arab charged with involvement in a 2018 attack on a military parade that killed 25 people. Habib Farajollah Chaab is also charged with several other bombings. He is accused of leading a separatist movement, Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahwaz, which seeks a separate state in the oil-rich province of Khuzestan in Iran's southwest.
Reuters, Iran starts trial of Arab separatist leader linked to military parade attack.
Egypt's president ordered the country's minimum wage to be increased by 12.5%. It was the third time Abdel Fattah El Sisi has raised the minimum wage since he took office. The current wage is about $152 a month. With the increase, workers will receive a monthly minimum of $172.
The National, El Sisi raises Egypt's minimum monthly wage by 12.5%.
After eight working children in Egypt died in a truck that sank in the Nile River, child labor is becoming the center of a debate in the country. "The authorities need to take more measures to ensure that child labor will come to an end," said Doaa Abass, head of the Legal Society for the Rights of Children and Families. The children were part of a group of 23 minors working at a poultry farm and were returning to their homes in the same village. Fifteen children and the truck driver survived.
Al Monitor, Child labor assumes fatal proportions in Egypt.
A French lawyer filed a torture claim against the new president of Interpol, UAE Maj. Gen. Ahmed Nasser al-Raisi. The suit is for a jailed human rights defender in the United Arab Emirates and was filed in a Paris court on the first day Raisi visited Interpol headquarters in Lyon.
The Telegraph, Torture claims filed against new Interpol leader from UAE.
Germany has opened a second trial over state-backed torture in Syria. A Syrian doctor, identified only as Alaa M., under German privacy laws, is accused of torturing opponents of Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad, while working at a military hospital and at prisons in Homs and Damascus. Last week, a German court in a landmark decision convicted a Syrian former intelligence officer of crimes against humanity and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
Reuters, Second Syria torture trial opens in Germany.
MORE: Sudan to establish anti-terrorism force, Asharq al-Awsat... Jordan military says it will deal differently with drug smugglers from Syria, The National... Algeria/Morocco: Latest world bank economic report causes further tensions, Africa Report... Key Iraq-Turkey oil pipeline knocked out by explosion, Bloomberg... Egypt arrests member of US-designated terror group after plane's emergency landing, Times of Israel... Oman and BP to set up renewable energy hub, Muscat Daily.
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If Yemen's Houthis believe their military offensive in Marib province is in danger, they will likely look at the only real ally they have, Iran. The Yemen force's Giants Brigades within a matter of days drove the Houthis from three districts in northern Shabwa province, then took areas of Marib province. Should the Giants Brigades succeed in pushing the Houthis back in Marib, it could change the direction of the war in Yemen and present an opportunity for negotiators to press the Houthis to compromise, Gregory B. Johnson writes.
Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, Under pressure, the Houthis may once again turn to Iran.
The attack on Abu Dhabi is "openly aimed at changing the equation," meaning the Houthis believe they can strike at the United Arab Emirates, moving beyond their attacks on Saudi Arabia. They may see the UAE as more vulnerable because of its large expatriate population and its role as a major tourist destination, Seth J. Frantzman writes.
Jerusalem Post, Iran-backed Houthis aim to redraw map of Middle East with attack on UAE - analysis.