UAE forces say they intercepted Houthi missile strike

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The United Arab Emirates says it has intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile that was fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels over an uninhabited area.

The UAE’s Ministry of Defense said Monday morning’s attack did not cause any losses, and the country’s civil aviation authority added that civil air operations are now back to normal.

“There were no casualties resulting from the attack and the fragments of the ballistic missile fell outside of populated areas,” the defense ministry said in a statement.

It added: “The UAE air defence forces and the Coalition Command had succeeded in destroying the missile launcher in Yemen after identifying locations of the sites.”

The ministry pledged its “full readiness to deal with any threats,” and that it will “take all necessary measures to protect the UAE from any attacks.”

The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack, and have also warned the UAE that they plan to disclose details of a military operation “deep within the country” soon.

Monday’s missile launch is the third attack by the Houthis this month; the first, on Jan. 17 killed three people, while the second attack the following Monday was thwarted by US forces’ Patriot missile defense system at Abu Dhabi’s Al Dhafra Air Base, which the US said was done in tandem with UAE forces.