Houthi rebels-Saudi Arabia conflict intensifies with drone attacks in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi [UAE], January 17 : Houthi-Saudi conflict spills into the wider Middle-East region with the drone attacks targeting three fuel tanks near depots of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company on Monday.
Earlier, three fuel tanks exploded near depots of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) on Monday, the emirate's police said, adding that the blast may be caused by a drone hit, according to sources.
Further, Saudi-led coalition destroys 8 drones headed towards the kingdom, according to Al Jazeera.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree, at the same time as the attack, told the Almasirah broadcaster that the Yemeni rebel group will soon reveal details about the military operation in the UAE territory.
Further, Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbarra, who has reported extensively on Yemen, said that the attack comes against the backdrop of a "massive military operation which is underway now in Yemen".
Earlier, United Nations Security Council on Friday condemned the seizure of UAE flagged vessel Rwabee by the Houthis and demanded immediate release of the vessel and crew, according to Al Jazeera.
Further, Iran-backed Houthis allegedly seized the Rwabee on January 3 this year, of the Red Sea port of Hodeidah and then released a video purportedly showing military equipment on board, including military-style rafts, trucks and other vehicles and what appeared to be a collection of rifles.
Meanwhile, Yemen has been engaged in an armed conflict between the government forces led by President Abdrabbuh Mansour Haid, and the Houthi rebels.
Since March 15 last year, Saudi Arabia led Arab alliance, working in cooperation with Hadi's forces, has been conducting air, land and sea operations against the Houthis in Yemen. The conflict has created the arguably biggest humanitarian crisis in the world in present times, according to Al Jazeera.
On the other hand, the UAE which had largely scaled down its a military presence in Yemen in 2019, continues to hold sway through the Yemeni forces it armed and trained.
Earlier, a Saudi-led military coalition intervened in Yemen in March 2015 to support the internationally recognized government after the Houthis captured the capital, Sanna, the previous year.
Meanwhile, Yemen has been engulfed in civil war since 2014 when the Houthis took the capital, Sanna and much to the norther part of the country, forcing the government to flee to the south, then to Saudi Arabia.
The UAE had largely scaled down its a military presence in Yemen in 2019 but continues to hold sway through Yemeni forces it armed and trained.
Earlier, the Houthis have used bomb-laden to launch crude attacks at Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The group has also launched missiles at Saudi airports, oil facilities and pipelines, as well as used booby-trapped boats for attacks on key shipping routes.
Yemen's government-aligned forces aided by the UAE backed Giants Brigades and with help from Saudi air raids, reclaimed the entire southern province of Shabwa from the Houthis earlier this month and made advances in nearby Marib province.
Attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi militant group against Saudi Arabia have more than doubled in 2021 from their pace last year, according to Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) report that provides details of escalating violence in the Gulf region.
During the first nine months of 2021, Houthi attacks against the Saudi kingdom averaged 78 a month, or 702 in total, said the CSIS report. During the same period in 2020, the report said, the monthly average was 38.
The UN imposed an arms embargo on the Houthis in 2015 and US as well as ally Saudi Arabia which leads the military coalition backing the Yemeni government has long accused Iran of supplying the Houthis with weapons, a charge Tehran denies, according to Al Jazeera.