UAE will resist terror and hate, says Anwar Gargash as Houthi attack on Abu Dhabi is foiled

UAE's defence systems intercepted and destroyed the missiles over the capital in the early hours on Monday

By A Staff Reporter

Published: Tue 25 Jan 2022, 11:58 AM

The UAE will not succumb to hate and aggression, a top UAE official has said.

The country remains a ray of hope that spreads goodness, tweeted Dr Anwar Gargash, Diplomatic Advisor to the UAE President.

“We are proud to reflect our history and culture, and for being an impenetrable fort against the forces of darkness and terrorism,” he said.

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The tweet came after the UAE shot down two ballistic missiles fired over Abu Dhabi, and destroyed the launcher used to mount the attack from Yemen by the Houthi terror group.

The Ministry of Defence posted a video showing F-16 jets gunning down the launcher “immediately” after it launched the ballistic missiles towards Abu Dhabi.

The UAE’s defence systems intercepted and destroyed the missiles over Abu Dhabi in the early hours of Monday. Fragments fell safely in different areas of Abu Dhabi, without causing any casualties.

In a strongly worded statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFAIC) affirmed that this “violent act cannot go without a thorough and comprehensive response”.

The UAE “reserves the right to respond against these terrorist attacks and such blatant criminal escalation”. The ministry described the attacks as "a heinous crime committed by the terrorist Houthi militia in breach of international and humanitarian laws".

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This is the second attack on the UAE mounted by the Houthi terrorists in under a week. Last week, suspected drone attacks on two civilian facilities in Abu Dhabi left three people dead and six injured. One fire caused an explosion in three Adnoc fuel tankers in Mussafah. Another minor fire broke out in the new construction area of the Abu Dhabi International Airport.

Dr Gargash had then said that terrorists cannot tamper with the stability of the region.

After the latest attack, the Ministry of Defence affirmed its "full readiness to deal with any threats" and vowed to "take all necessary measures to protect the UAE from any attacks".

Countries and organisations have hailed the UAE’s defence capabilities for successfully countering the Houthi attack. Condemning the latest Houthi bid, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) hailed the UAE for “confronting this brute terrorist attack”.

sahim@khaleejtimes.com