Houthi leader killed in Arab Coalition strikes on Yemen: Report

Arab Coalition airstrikes on targets north of Yemen’s capital Sanaa killed Houthi leader Major General Abdullah Qassem al-Junaid, according to a report from Al Arabiya sister channel Al Hadath.

Strikes were launched after the Iran-backed Houthis claimed an attack on two targets in the United Arab Emirates capital Abu Dhabi on Monday morning, which killed three people and injured six.

An Arab Coalition spokesperson said in a statement that strikes were launched “in response to threat and military necessity.”

A construction site at Abu Dhabi’s new airport extension, and an oil facility caught fire on Monday morning. Police said the incidents were possibly caused by drones.

UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed later described the incidents as “terrorist attacks and [a] sinister criminal escalation,” adding that they “will not go unpunished.

The fires were a rare instance of attacks on UAE soil.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry condemned the attacks in a statement released on Monday.

“The Kingdom affirms its full stand with the brotherly United Arab Emirates in the face of everything that threatens its security and stability,” the statement said.

“The Kingdom also points out that this terrorist act, which is behind the evil forces of the Houthi terrorist militia, reaffirms the seriousness of this terrorist group and its threat to security, peace, and stability in the region and the world,”

The UAE and Saudi Arabia have been embroiled in Yemen’s civil war since the Arab Coalition intervened in 2015.

Saudi Arabia regularly faces drone attacks from the Houthis.

Military operations against the Iran-backed militia had escalated in recent weeks.

On Monday, January 10, it was announced that the coalition had retaken the Shabwa district from the Houthis.