World

11 killed as Saudi coalition targets Houthi stronghold after UAE attack

At least three people were killed, including a Pakistani, when rebels attacked Abu Dhabi on Monday

By AFP

January 18, 2022

Yemenis inspect the damage following overnight air strikes by the Saudi-led coalition targeting the Huthi rebel-held capital Sanaa, on January 18, 2022. The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemens Houthi insurgents said it had launched air strikes targeting the rebel-held capital Sanaa after a deadly attack against coalition ally Abu Dhabi. -AFP — Yemenis inspect the damage following overnight air strikes by the Saudi-led coalition targeting the Huthi rebel-held capital Sanaa, on January 18, 2022. The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthi insurgents said it had launched air strikes targeting the rebel-held capital Sanaa after a deadly attack against coalition ally Abu Dhabi. -AFP

SANAA: Eleven people were killed in coalition airstrikes on Yemen’s rebel-held capital Sanaa, a witness and medical sources told AFP Tuesday, after the insurgents launched a rare and deadly attack on the United Arab Emirates.

"Eleven people were killed. The search is still going on for survivors in the rubble," said Akram al-Ahdal, a relative of some of the victims. A medical source confirmed the death toll.

The airstrikes hit two houses, leaving them in ruins, Ahdal said. The UAE is part of the Saudi-led pro-government coalition fighting rebel forces.

The late Monday strikes came hours after Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed a drone and missile attack on the UAE capital Abu Dhabi which killed three people and wounded six.

The Houthis have carried out repeated cross-border attacks against Saudi Arabia, but this is the first deadly assault acknowledged by the UAE inside its borders and claimed by the Yemeni insurgents.