UAE: Yemeni Houthis threaten UAE attack September 14

Event

The leader of the Houthi rebels in Yemen threatened on Thursday, September 14, to attack Emirati cities with modified missiles should Abu Dhabi continue its support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen's civil war. The group announced it recently completed a missile test that allegedly proved it maintains the capability to strike Abu Dhabi, and warned businesses that the UAE "is no longer safe." While alarming, these claims have not yet been publicly substantiated by outside analysts.

Context

Yemen's complex and deadly civil war has been ongoing since 2014 when Houthi rebels started a conflict with the Yemeni government, supported by the Saudi-led coalition of which the UAE is a member. Approximately 10,000 Yemenis have died in the fighting and over 2.5 million have been displaced. The devastating war has also sparked a cholera outbreak, which has affected approximately 350,000 people to date.

Advice

Individuals in the UAE are advised to monitor the situation and heed any warnings issued by authorities should the threat of attack materialize.​