Turkish parliament speaker condemns Houthi attack in UAE

ANKARA

Turkiye’s parliament speaker issued a statement late Monday condemning attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebel group on the United Arab Emirates which left at least three people dead and six others injured.

"I strongly condemn the attacks which appeared to be carried out with drones against Abu Dhabi, the capital city of the United Arab Emirates," Mustafa Sentop said on Twitter.

Sentop also extended his condolences "to the brotherly people and Administration of the UAE."

"May Allah’s mercy be upon the ones who have lost their lives," he added.

Yemen’s Houthi rebel group said earlier Monday that it targeted sensitive locations in the UAE.

Authorities in the Gulf country said three fuel trucks exploded and a fire broke out at a construction site near Abu Dhabi International Airport, killing three people and injuring six others in what officials say was an operation using missiles and drones.

Those killed were reportedly two Indians and a Pakistani.

Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree codenamed the operation "Yemeni Hurricane" and said it came in response to what he described as the "US-Saudi-Emirati escalation" in Yemen.

Saree added that his group's operation targeted the airports of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, the oil refinery in the Mussafah area in Abu Dhabi and “a number of important and sensitive Emirati sites and facilities” using five ballistic and winged missiles and a large number of drones.

He also called on foreign companies, nationals and residents to avoid important sites and facilities in the UAE for their safety as he warned of more attacks.

The UAE in a statement said it reserves the right to respond to the attacks and vowed that such attacks will not go unpunished.

Yemen has been engulfed by violence and instability since 2014, when Iran-aligned Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

A Saudi-led coalition aimed at reinstating the Yemeni government, of which the UAE is a member, has worsened the situation, causing one of the world’s worst man-made humanitarian crises, with nearly 80% or around 30 million people needing humanitarian assistance and protection and more than 13 million in danger of starvation, according to UN estimates.