Two Indians among 3 killed in Houthi-led UAE 'drone attack'

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New Delhi, January 17

The civil war being stoked in Yemen claimed the lives of two Indians in the latest instance of a drone attack by its Houthi rebels in Abu Dhabi, UAE, on Monday.

This is in addition to seven Indians aboard a UAE ship who are being held hostage by the Houthi rebels since they seized the vessel on January 1.

Initial findings

Initial investigations found parts of a small plane that could possibly be a drone at both sites that could have caused the explosion and the fire. —Abu Dhabi police

On Monday, the local police said three persons, two Indians and one Pakistani, were killed after three fuel trucks exploded. A fire had also broken out at the under-construction extension of the Abu Dhabi airport.

“Initial investigations found parts of a small plane that could possibly be a drone at both sites that could have caused the explosion and the fire. There was no significant damage,” said the Abu Dhabi police.

But the incident was considered serious enough by South Korea that cancelled the summit meeting of its President Moon Jae-in with Abu Dhabi’s crown prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan due to “unforeseen and urgent matters of state”.

A Houthi military spokesman lent credence to speculation about a drone attack by stating that the rebels launched a military operation “deep in the UAE”.

Houthi Arabs have been targeting facilities in Saudi Arabia and the UAE for their military intervention in Yemen in 2015.