Houthis claim UAE airport drone attack

Houthi rebels said on Thursday they flew an unmanned drone nearly 1,000 miles and struck the international airport in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi.

The Abu Dhabi airport tweeted on Thursday that there was an incident with a supply vehicle, but insisted operations are continuing as normal.

Twitter Post

It remains unclear whether the airport was referring to the same incident. 

The Houthi claim was made via the Al Masirah TV station, which is run by the Yemeni rebel group. 

Iran's Kayhan newspaper, which is pro-government and considered to be the country's most conservative daily, also published a frontpage article Thursday warning that Houthi "missiles are on the way, evacuate Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Riyadh". 

Twitter Post

The UAE, Saudi Arabia and their allies in a pro-government regional coalition launched a major offensive last month to retake Yemen's Hodeida port, through which nearly three quarters of Yemen's imports flow.

Aid groups operating in Yemen have warned of catastrophic consequences of any further escalation of violence around the port city Hodeida.

Pro-government forces have paused their offensive on Hodeida port in a bid they say to give peace efforts a chance. 

UAE foreign affairs minister Anwar Gargash said Abu Dhabi, whose forces have been spearheading the Hodeida assault, could "liberate" the port city if talks fail.

Nearly 10,000 people have died since the outbreak of war in Yemen in March 2015 when the Saudi-led coalition joined the government's fight against the Houthis.

The conflict has pushed Yemen, long the most impoverished country in the Arab world, to the brink of famine.

Follow us on Twitter: @The_NewArab