UAE intercepts 2 ballistic missiles as tensions with Yemen's Houthis rise

Dubai [UAE], January 25 (ANI/Xinhua): The Defense Ministry of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced on Monday that its air defense systems intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles fired by Yemen's Houthi militia.
The attack, which came one week after a deadly Houthi attack on the UAE's capital Abu Dhabi on Jan. 17, caused no casualties, as the ballistic missile fragments fell in several locations around Abu Dhabi, the official Emirates News Agency reported, citing a statement of the ministry.
The ballistic missile launcher in Yemen's Al Jawf governorate was destroyed shortly after it launched the two missiles against Abu Dhabi, UAE's Defense Ministry announced in a post on its Twitter account.
Video footage posted on UAE Defense Ministry's Twitter account showed a huge fire erupting at an infrastructure, which was described by the ministry as a ballistic missile launcher in Yemen, after it was hit by a missile. The missile was reported to have been launched by an F-16 fighter jet.
The ministry also said in a statement that it is ready to deal with any threats and will "take all necessary measures to protect the state from all attacks."
Meanwhile, Houthi military spokesman Yehya Sarea asked foreign companies and investors in the UAE to leave, because the country has become "unsafe."
"As long as the UAE continues its assault and siege of the Yemeni people, it will be repeatedly targeted," he said.
Yemen's Houthi militia on Monday claimed responsibility for using ballistic missiles and explosive-laden drones to strike a number of facilities deep within the UAE and Saudi Arabia, both of which have joined a military coalition fighting the Houthis in Yemen.
The strike had targeted the Al Dhafra Air Base and other sensitive sites in Abu Dhabi, as well as important sites in Dubai, Houthi military spokesman Yehya Sarea said in a statement.
The militia also used "a large number of drones" to attack multiple military bases in Saudi Arabia's Sharurah and other areas, and fired ballistic missiles against the Jazan and Asir regions, according to Sarea.
The strike against Saudi Arabia, according to the Saudi-led coalition, resulted in material losses but no casualties.
Turkey and Lebanon condemned the Yemeni militia's missile attacks shortly after they occurred on Monday.
The Houthis have frequently launched cross-border missile and drone strikes on Saudi Arabia, and on Jan. 17, they staged an unexpected attack on the UAE, in which three petroleum tankers caught fire near Abu Dhabi National Oil Company storage facilities. The attack resulted in the deaths of three people and the injuries of six more.
In the week following Jan. 17, a Saudi-led coalition conducted a series of airstrikes across Yemen, hitting various Houthi-controlled targets and killing dozens of people. (Murad Abdo in Aden, Yemen contributed to the report) (ANI/Xinhua)