UAE says it stopped drone attack, little-known group claims responsibility

The United Arab Emirates said it intercepted three drones that entered its airspace over uninhabited areas earlier on Wednesday, the fourth such attack on the United Arab Emirates. bay Business and tourism hub for the past few weeks.

The first three attacks, including a missile strike during a visit by the Israeli president on Monday, were by Yemen allied with Iran Houthi In the escalation of the military alliance with the lead Saudi Arabia which includes United Arab Emirates.

The Houthis have yet to announce new operations, and Wednesday’s drone strike was claimed by a little-known group calling itself the “True Promise Brigade,” according to the US-based SITE intelligence group, which tracks jihadist websites.

The group’s only other announcement was in January 2021, when it said it launched drone In Saudi Arabia, the country has been embroiled in several proxy conflicts with rival Iran, including Yemen.

The UAE’s defence ministry said it was “ready to respond to any threat” and was taking “all necessary measures” to protect the country known as a safe haven for commerce.

On Tuesday, the United States said it would send fighter jets to assist the UAE in the wake of the attacks, including one targeting a US military base that killed three people in the Jan. 17 attack on Abu Dhabi.

The unprecedented attack on U.S. allies is an escalation of the seven-year war in Yemen. The Houthis have been focusing on cross-border attacks in Saudi Arabia, but expanded to the UAE last month after local UAE-backed forces joined the fight against the group in energy-producing areas.

Some analysts said, if confirmed, the Zhennuo Brigade’s claims could point to an uptick in violence by militias trying to help ally Iran against rivals in the West and Gulf Arab states.

“If Alwiyat al-Waad al-Haq woke up from hibernation and did launch a drone in the UAE…then this is likely to be an Iranian-directed or at least tolerated operation,” said Michael Knights of the Washington Institute for the Near East. The policy said in a Twitter post to use the group’s Arabic name.

The Sunni Muslim Gulf power has called on global powers to try to salvage the nuclear deal with Iran in response to Shiite Iran’s regional proxy and missile programs.

Tehran did not directly comment on the attacks in the UAE, but called for a political solution to the Yemen crisis.

On Wednesday, the Iranian foreign minister discussed Yemen with his UAE counterpart by phone.

The UAE drastically reduced its military presence in Yemen in 2019 and has been engaged in a de-escalation effort with Tehran driven largely by economic priorities.