US sending warship, fighter jets to UAE following Houthi missile attacks

The United States will send a warship and fighter jets to the Gulf, officials said on Wednesday, after a series of missile attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels left three dead in the UAE.

The UAE Ministry of Defence on Wednesday night announced the interception and destruction of three hostile drones that penetrated UAE airspace.

The deployment, to “assist the UAE against the current threat”, follows a phone call between Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, the US embassy in the UAE said.

According to the embassy, the USS Cole guided missile destroyer will partner with the UAE Navy, while the US will also deploy fifth-generation warplanes. Other actions include “continuing to provide early warning intelligence (and) collaborating on air defence”, the embassy said.

Austin and Sheikh Mohamed “discussed the recent Huthi attacks against the UAE that caused civilian casualties and also threatened US and Emirati armed forces stationed at Al Dhafra air base”, the embassy added.

Two Indians and one Pakistani workers were killed in a drone and missile assault targeting oil facilities and airport in Abu Dhabi on January 17.

The UAE has called on President Joe Biden to redesignate the Houthis as a terrorist group after he delisted them in response to aid group concerns over what the UN calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.