In a new terrorist step, the Houthi militias resorted to a desperate tactic by launching rockets, on Monday, at the UAE and Saudi Arabia in succession, following Abu Dhabi's success in exposing its terrorism at the Arab and international levels. This failed Houthi targeting of the UAE is the second of its kind in less than a week, as drones were used to target civilian facilities in Abu Dhabi, resulting in the deaths of three people and injuries to six innocent civilians. The latest attacks also come after a successful session for the UAE at the Arab League Council, which frightened the Houthis after its final statement called on all countries to include the militias on Arab and international terror lists.
The Emirati Ministry of Defense announced the failed Houthi attack, reporting the destruction of two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthi terrorist group towards the state, according to the UAE news agency "WAM." The Ministry of Defense confirmed on Monday that there were no human casualties from the attack, as the remnants of the intercepted and destroyed ballistic missiles landed in various areas around the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Additionally, it stated that it is fully prepared and ready to address any threats, taking all necessary measures to protect the state from all aggressions.
Commenting on this, U.S. affairs and international relations specialist Ehab Abbas stated that the new attacks confirm "the military bankruptcy of the Houthis" after their significant battlefield defeats or through the exposure of their terrorism at the Arab and international levels due to the wise handling by the UAE. He described the new attack to "Sky News Arabia" as "a failed tactic and a desperate attempt to cover up failures following Arab and international solidarity and exposing the ugly face of militia terrorism," affirming that the UAE has the right to use all legal and military tools to defend its territory.
Moreover, he added: "The U.S. administration and the international community must take a decisive stand against this terrorist group, and the re-inclusion of the Houthis on terror lists has become urgent."
Two attacks on Saudi Arabia and a message to Biden
The attack on the UAE coincided with two separate Houthi attacks on the regions of Asir and Jizan in Saudi Arabia, serving as a message to the U.S. administration about the necessity of returning the militias to terror lists. The Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen announced late Sunday-Monday that a ballistic missile, launched by the Iranian-backed Houthi militias towards the Dhahran Al-Janub province in the Asir region, was destroyed. The attack on Dhahran Al-Janub came just hours after the coalition announced that two people were lightly injured due to a Houthi ballistic missile attack on the Jizan region in southwestern Saudi Arabia.
These two attacks followed the coalition's successful destruction of eight military vehicles and human losses exceeding 90 terrorist elements after executing 17 targeting operations against Houthi militias in Marib and Al-Bayda. In this context, former Egyptian Foreign Minister Ambassador Muhammad Al-Arabi described the Houthi militias as "a model of black terrorism that needs to be uprooted from its roots both Arabically and internationally and punished for targeting neighboring countries and terrorizing civilians."
He added in statements to "Sky News Arabia" that the success and wisdom of the UAE against Houthi terrorism hurt the militias, which went mad and launched new attacks against Abu Dhabi. Al-Arabi asserted, "The U.S. administration must realize that it is required to take a decisive position regarding these violations, and the classification of the Houthis on terrorism lists is necessary to confront this escalating terrorism in the region."
He expressed that the Houthi militias represent a real threat to vital civilian facilities, energy supplies, and global economic stability, posing a risk to both regional peace and security and undermining Arab national security. He emphasized: "The militias operate outside the framework of international law, and measures must be taken to deter them in every possible way and to dry up their military capabilities."
Scoundrel aggression
In the first Arab reaction, Bahrain condemned the Houthi attacks against the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Bahrain stated in a statement that the Houthi attacks using ballistic missiles and drones against Saudi Arabia and the UAE are treacherous assaults that require international deterrence and are inconsistent with international humanitarian law and international laws.
On Friday, the UN Security Council unanimously stressed the necessity of holding the perpetrators of these terrorist acts accountable and bringing them to justice. Western and Arab countries, along with international entities, expressed their condemnation of the Houthi attack against civilian facilities in Abu Dhabi, announcing their solidarity with the UAE.
Following the defeats
The Houthi attack came after the UAE delivered a diplomatic blow to the militias on the Arab and international stage, which drove the latter to violence and terrorism and the policy of launching rockets, especially after the significant defeats the militias have been suffering on the battle fronts in Yemen.
The Giants Brigades continued their advance south of Marib, announcing their control on Sunday over strategic mountains and locations overlooking the districts of Harib and Al-Abdiyyah south of Marib. This development came amid the continuous defeats of the militias on both the southern front and the Sana’a front, where the Giants Brigades has advanced towards the road linking Marib and Al-Bayda.
Commenting on the Harib battle and the Houthi's battlefield defeats, the Director of Military Media for the Yemeni Joint Forces Abdul Nasser Al-Mamlouh stated: "If the militias lose Harib completely, their collapses will not stop at the administrative borders of this district, and battles will move without strong resistance into the depth of the southern districts of Marib."
He added: "Houthi defeats in the Harib battle and even before that in Shabwa have raised tension within their ranks, pushing them into committing foolish acts by targeting the UAE," describing the Houthi attack on Abu Dhabi as cowardly and requiring a decisive international deterrent.
Crimes within the militias
In the continuous sequence of Houthi defeats, the Yemeni Ministry of Defense announced on Sunday that it has "horrific" information regarding the execution of Houthi militias against their retreating fighters and those refusing to fight. The Yemeni Ministry of Defense stated: "The retreated Houthi fighters are guaranteed safety and good treatment, according to legitimacy and international norms and laws."
The ministry continued: "Those we receive from the retreated fighters are guests, and we will provide them with all the assistance and support to return them to their regions upon their request," according to the Saudi news agency "WAS." The militias have also launched a widespread campaign of arrests against a large number of their elements in the fronts of Marib and the outskirts of Bayhan in Shabwa.
Yemeni movements to classify the Houthis
Within Yemen, activists announced the launch of an online campaign in Arabic and English on Monday evening, demanding the designation of the Houthis as a terrorist group under the title "#Houthis are a terrorist group," urging the international community to include the Houthis on terrorism lists.
Regarding the campaign, Yemeni Minister of Information Muammar Al-Eryani commented: "Our duty compels us to raise our voices to highlight Houthi terrorism and its crimes and to effectively participate in the campaign to expose the militias."
He added: "The new crime of targeting the UAE comes within the framework of the systematic targeting that the militias are waging against civilians both internally and externally, which are war crimes." Al-Eryani stated that the goal of the campaign is to send a message to the international community of the necessity of including the militias on terrorism lists and pursuing and prosecuting their leaders in the International Criminal Court as "war criminals."
He explained: "The Houthis are a terrorist organization no different from Al-Qaeda and ISIS, and they should be included along with their leaders on terrorism lists and support the efforts of the legitimate government to restore the state and overthrow the coup."
