UAE Readies for Intercepting Potential Houthi Drones and Missiles

The United Arab Emirates is watching with concern what is happening in the Red Sea as the Gaza-Israel conflict may lead to a war between Israel and the Houthi group in Yemen.

The Israeli state TV channel i24 news quoted an Emirati official as saying the Emirates is preparing to intercept rocket shells from Yemen.

One week ago, a Yemeni intelligence source told Sheba Intelligence that the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group plans to fire missiles and drones towards military sites in the Arabian Gulf, especially in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The source indicated that Al Dhafra Air Base - 32 km southwest of Abu Dhabi, is among the targets that will be hit, and the Houthi group still awaits the green light from Tehran.

Al Dhafra Air Base, where American, French, and Emirati forces are stationed, had entered a state of alert after the Houthi attack on Abu Dhabi in January 2022.

On October 11, Houthi group chief Abdulmalek Al-Houthi said he would intervene in the Hamas-Israel conflict if the United States intervened. He threatened to respond to US intervention in Gaza with drones, missiles, and other military options.

According to information obtained by Sheba Intelligence, the Houthis continue to deploy ballistic missiles in Al-Jawf, Saada, Al-Hudaydah, Taiz and Al-Bayda, in preparation for launching internal and cross-border attacks. The sources predicted Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, and international forces in the Red Sea and Bab Al-Mandab.