Categories: World News

14 Dead As Coalition Bombs Yemen After UAE Attack

Yemenis inspect the damage following overnight air strikes by the Saudi-led coalition targeting the Huthi rebel-held capital Sanaa, on January 18, 2022. MOHAMMED HUWAIS / AFP

 

The UAE, part of the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Iran-backed rebels, had vowed a tough response to Monday’s attack, the first deadly assault acknowledged inside its borders and claimed by the Yemeni insurgents.

The attack on the renowned Middle East safe haven of UAE, which opened a new front in the seven-year war, followed a surge in fighting in Yemen including battles between the rebels and UAE-trained troops.

Crude prices soared to seven-year highs partly because of the Abu Dhabi attacks, which exploded fuel tanks near storage facilities of oil giant ADNOC. The Huthis later warned UAE residents to avoid “vital installations”.

READ ALSO: Crude Oil Hits 7-year High On Recovery Hope But Equity Rally Runs Out

Yemen, whose nearly seven-year-old war has killed hundreds of thousands, occupies a strategic position on the Red Sea, a vital conduit for oil from the resource-rich Gulf.

After the attacks, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed agreed in a phone call to “jointly stand up to these acts of aggression”, UAE state media said.

‘No end in sight’

The Abu Dhabi attack marked a new phase in the Yemen war and further reduced hopes of any resolution to the conflict, which has displaced millions in what was already the Arabian peninsula’s poorest country.

The United States pledged to hold the Huthis accountable, while Britain, France and the European Union also condemned the assault.

The targeting of Abu Dhabi followed intense clashes in Yemen, including advances by the UAE-trained Giants Brigade, who drove the rebels out of Shabwa province.

The defeat dealt a blow to the Huthis’ months-long campaign to capture neighbouring Marib, the government’s last stronghold in the north.

Earlier this month, the Huthis hijacked the UAE-flagged Rwabee in the Red Sea, charging that it was carrying military equipment — a claim disputed by the coalition and the UAE.

The ship’s 11 international crew are being held captive.

Yemen’s civil war began in 2014 when the Huthis seized the capital Sanaa, prompting Saudi-led forces to intervene to prop up the government the following year.

The conflict has been a catastrophe for millions of its citizens who have fled their homes, with many on the brink of famine in what the UN calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

The UN has estimated the war killed 377,000 people by the end of 2021, both directly and indirectly through hunger and disease.

“There is no end in sight for the Yemen war,” Elisabeth Kendall, a researcher at the University of Oxford’s Pembroke College, told AFP.

“Rather, the conflict is escalating and new fronts are opening up, both domestically and now regionally.”

AFP

Solomon Elusoji

Disqus Comments Loading...
Share
Published by
Solomon Elusoji

Recent Posts

DC Comics’ Jim Lee: Using AI Robs Artists Of Creative Joy

We have to figure out a way to live in a world where it exists,…

11 mins ago

Protest Rocks Rivers Over Award Of Federal Constituency Projects

The protesters from Ikwerre/Emohua Federal Constituency, are asking the leadership of the National Assembly, and…

26 mins ago

FG To Build Affordable Houses For Low-Income Earners In Kaduna

The pilot project which will commence in Kaduna, will boost access to decent, quality and affordable…

30 mins ago

African Union ‘Warmly Congratulates’ Faye On Senegal Election Victory

Senegal's Constitutional Court could declare Faye the official winner before the weekend, which would make…

35 mins ago

Song Lyrics Are Getting Simpler, More Repetitive – Study

The results also confirmed previous research, which had shown a decrease in positive, joyful lyrics…

40 mins ago

Ex-South African President Zuma Survives Car Crash – Police

The incident happened just hours after electoral officials barred Zuma from standing in the May…

50 mins ago