US to send warship, fighter jets to UAE after Yemen attacks: statement

The United States on Wednesday said it would send a guided-missile destroyer and fighter jets to assist the United Arab Emirates after a series of missile attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels.

US Secretary of State Lloyd Austin told Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan in a telephone call that Washington was sending the "USS Cole to partner with the UAE Navy before making a port call in Abu Dhabi," the US embassy in UAE said in a statement.

Austin also informed the Crown Prince of his decision to deploy fifth-generation fighter planes "to assist the UAE against the current threat."

The deployment was intended to be a "clear signal that the United States stands with the UAE as a long-standing strategic partner," the statement concluded.
Attacks during Israeli president's visit

On Monday, the UAE said it had intercepted a ballistic missile fired from Yemen by the Iran-aligned Houthis, during Israeli President Isaac Herzog's visit to the Gulf nation.

This was the third missile attack in two weeks against the UAE, the Middle East's commercial and tourism hub.

Earlier in January, a drone attack caused three oil tankers to explode in Abu Dhabi, killing three people and injuring six others. The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack.

The UAE then carried out a series of retaliatory airstrikes in Yemen.