Two Indians killed in UAE drone strike identified

ADNOC is the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company. The two Indians and a Pakistani killed in the attack claimed by Houthi rebels in Yemen on Monday were working with ADNOC.

“Of the 6 injured, 2 are Indian nationals. After receiving medical treatment they were discharged yesterday night. We thank the UAE Government for their support,” the Indian Embassy said.

UAE’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan spoke to his Indian counterpart, S Jaishankar, to express “condolences for the Indian lives lost in the terror attack”.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement that Al Nahyan “shared the details of the attack” and assured that the UAE government “would extend the fullest support to the families of the deceased.”

It said Jaishankar “condemned the terror attack in the strongest terms”. “He emphasised that in this day and age, such an attack on innocent civilians was completely unacceptable and against all civilised norms,” the ministry said.

Late on Monday, UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation blamed the Yemen-based Houthi group for the attack. A statement issued by Al Nahyan condemned “the Houthi militia’s targeting of civilian areas and facilities on UAE soil”, and said “those responsible for this unlawful targeting of our country will be held accountable”.

The statement said the UAE “reserves the right to respond to these terrorist attacks and criminal escalation… crimes committed in flagrant violation of international law”. The UAE also “called on the international community to strongly condemn and denounce these terrorist acts that target civilians and civilian facilities.”

Houthi military spokesman Brig Gen Yahya Saree had said Monday that the group launched an attack “deep in the UAE”. According to CNN, he said the “UAE is an unsafe state as long as its aggressive escalation against Yemen continues.” The UAE is part of the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen fighting Houthi rebels.

“Five ballistic missiles and a large number of drones were used in an operation dubbed as ‘Operation Hurricane Yemen’ targeting Dubai and Abu Dhabi airports, the Musaffah oil refinery in Abu Dhabi and a number of important and sensitive Emirate sites and facilities,” Saree told Houthi-owned Al Masirah TV channel Monday, CNN reported.

He warned foreign companies, citizens and residents of the UAE to stay away from vital sites, saying they are renewing their warning to “countries of aggression that they will receive more painful blows.”

According to a Reuters report, the Abu Dhabi police said “initial investigations found parts of a small plane that could possibly be a drone at both sites that could have caused the explosion and the fire”.

The suspected drones hit three petroleum tankers, causing explosions. Another minor fire broke out in the new construction area of the Abu Dhabi International Airport.