UAE brings down Houthi missile amid Israel President's visit

Dubai: The United Arab Emirates Defence Ministry said that it had intercepted and destroyed a Houthi ballistic missile on Monday. The incident happened during Israel President Isac Herzog historic visit to the UAE, PTI reports.

However, no casualties were reported, and the missile debris fell outside populated areas, the UAE ministry informed in a statement, which was aired by WAM news agency.

The statement further said that UAE air defence forces and the Coalition Command destroyed the missile launcher in Yemen after finding its locations. A video of the launching platform, at Al Jawf in Yemen, being destroyed was shared in a tweet. The ministry said that it is fully prepared to face any attacks as it took necessary measures to protect the nation. It urged people to follow news on the latest attack from UAE' official sources.

General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) of UAE informed that air traffic is operational without any disruptions. There was no impact on flights and airports due to the missile incident, GCAA said in a statement.

Last week, UAE had intercepted and brought down two ballistic missiles launched towards it by Houthis. On January 17, one hit a fuel depot in Abu Dhabi and the airport. Houthis targeted the Musaffah ICAD 3 area and the new construction area at Abu Dhabi International Airport. Three petroleum tankers exploded in the attack killing two Indians and Pakistani and injuring six others.

The United Nations Security Council had strongly condemned the attack through its statement saying the attack was heinous and paid condolence to the families of those killed. The council said that terrorism, in all its forms, is a severe threat to international peace and security.

After the January 17 attack, the UAE administration banned all private flying operations such as drones, light sport aircraft etc., in the country for a month.