UAE diplomats demand more US defense systems to thwart growing Houthi attacks

Agencies | Abu Dhabi

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The UAE called on the US to provide it with better anti-missile and anti-drone capabilities to continue defending itself against Yemen’s Iran backed Houthi attacks, Emirati diplomats wrote in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece after the militia attacked Abu Dhabi three times last month.

They also reiterated their call for Washington to re-designate Houthis as a terrorist organisation. UAE Ambassador to the US Yousef Al Otaiba and UAE permanent representative to the UN Lana Zaki Nusseibeh wrote in the WSJ article: “Better anti-missile and anti-drone capabilities are... needed.

The US Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) systems prevented an even greater loss of life in the January strikes.” “The UAE will intensify its cooperation with the US to expand and improve this protective umbrella for itself, US assets in the region and other Gulf allies,” they added.

Last month, the Houthis targeted the UAE with three cross border aerial attacks using cruise and ballistic missiles, as well as drones.

All the attacks targeted civilian sites and infrastructures and led to the death of three civilians. The UAE said it had coordinated efforts with US forces at Al Dhafra Air Base near Abu Dhabi, and Washington announced that its military forces in the Gulf country deployed Patriot surface-to-air missiles to intercept and deter the Houthi attacks on the Emirati capital.

Containing aggression

Otaiba and Nusseibeh said: “Containing Houthi aggression requires broad diplomatic pressure, tougher US and international sanctions, intensified efforts to block weapons proliferation, and the development and wider deployment of effective countermeasures.”