RIYADH: Saudi Arabia strongly condemned on Monday continued attempts by the Houthi militia to attack civilian areas and objects in the UAE, the latest of which was the launch of a ballistic missile at Abu Dhabi.
The UAE said early on Monday it had intercepted a ballistic missile fired by the Iranian-backed militia as the UAE hosted Israeli President Isaac Herzog on his first visit to the country.
Nobody was hurt in the attack, the third in recent weeks on the UAE.
The Kingdom affirmed its full support for the UAE against everything that threatens the country’s security and stability, the foreign ministry said.
The Kingdom continues to confront Houthi terrorist attempts and practices through its leadership of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen, the ministry added.
The Kingdom also said it supports any measures taken by the UAE to preserve its security and the safety of its citizens and residents.
The Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council condemned the Houthi attack and the systematic targeting of vital civilian facilities.
Nayef Falah Al-Hajraf stressed that continued Houthi attacks show the militia’s blatant defiance of the international community and disregard for all international laws and norms.
Al-Hajraf called on the international community to assume its responsibilities and take a decisive stance against the militia.
The US also condemned the attack on Monday.
“We condemn the latest Houthi missile attack on Abu Dhabi. While Israel’s president is visiting the UAE to build bridges and promote stability across the region, the Houthis continue to launch attacks that threaten civilians,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said.
President Joe Biden said the US has the “backs of friends” in the region and that his administration was in daily contact with the UAE to discuss threats.
France’s foreign ministry said that repeated Houthi attacks are unacceptable and threaten the security of the UAE and the stability of the region.
The ministry reaffirmed its solidarity with the Gulf country and said it supports action that is in the interest of regional security and stability.
The UAE’s defense ministry said fragments of debris from the missile fell “outside of populated areas.”
The ministry later said it responded by destroying the missile launch site in Yemen's northern Al-Jawf region, releasing black-and-white footage of the explosion.
Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE President, said: “Those who test the UAE are mistaken.”
“We do not see the threats and fantasies of terrorist organizations based on illusions as more than a passing matter that will be dealt with in a manner that guarantees our security and national sovereignty,” Gargash added.
Bahrain said that these heinous terrorist attacks reflect the Houthis’ determination to target safe civilians and civilian facilities, stressing that the kingdom supports the UAE in all the measures it takes to protect its security and stability.
Meanwhile, Kuwait's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Monday that the Houthi's actions against civilians in the UAE were a violation of international law and would increase tension in the region.
Yemen also expressed it's solidarity with the UAE and its support for all measures taken by the country to defend its people and protect its facilities.
Its Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said in its statement released through Yemeni News Agency (Saba): “The passivity of the international community toward Houthis’ recurrent attacks, its threats to security and stability in the region has encouraged the militias to keep on their attacks on the civil facilities and civilians amid the absence of international deterrence to force the militiamen to change their hostile behaviors”.
Tunisia affirmed its absolute rejection of any aggression targeting Saudi Arabia and the UAE’s security and sovereignty, and all threats that undermine the stability of the entire region and constitute a flagrant violation of international laws and norms.”
Egypt and Jordan issued similar statements condemning the attack and expressing solidarity with the UAE.
The Pakistani Foreign Ministry said that these attacks are a serious violation of international law and a threat to regional peace and security, and called for an immediate cessation of such attacks.
Japanese Foreign Minister, Yoshimasa Hayashi, also renewed his condemnation of the Houthi militia's continue attack on the UAE and called for peace and stability in the region.
“On the part of the Japanese government, we hope to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East and with that regard, we will do our utmost to secure the safety of Japanese nationals in UAE,” said Hayashi in his statement.
