Houthi Attack on the United Arab Emirates

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Houthi Attack on the United Arab Emirates

Background:

• The Houthis are a Zaidiyyah Shiite rebel group, fighting in a civil war against the Sunni Yemeni government since 2004. The group’s formal name is Ansar Allah, which translates to “Partisans of God.”
• Allegedly, the Houthis are backed by Iran, who provides the group with funding. Many countries, such as Saudi Arabia, also assert that the Houthis receive training and resources from Hezbollah, an Iranian-aligned political and militant group in Lebanon. 
• Iran and Hezbollah have denied these allegations. 
•  In 2014, the Houthis captured Yemen’s capital city, Saana. 
• The following year, in 2015, Saudi Arabia intervened in the conflict, launching a military campaign against the Houthi rebel movement. Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Qatar, Sudan, the United Arab Emirates, Eritrea and Pakistan have joined Saudi Arabia in a military coalition against Ansar Allah. 
• The military campaign has been criticized for undermining the human rights of Yemeni civilians. 
• Under the Trump administration, the U.S. backed the coalition and continuously provided arms to Saudi Arabia. However, the Biden administration is working to reverse U.S. support of the military campaigns in Yemen. 

Attack on the UAE and Coinciding Developments:

• On January 17, the Houthis launched a drone attack on Abu Dhabi, UAE. The strikes hit fuel tanks, invoking a larger explosion and a consequential fire at the Abu Dhabi airport. Three people were killed.
• Previously, the UAE was not a primary target of Houthi attacks largely on account of geographical considerations. 
• The UAE, Saudi Arabia, United Nations, United States, United Kingdom, France, and others responded with public condemnation of the attack. 
• At the beginning of his administration, President Joe Biden removed the Houthis from the State Department’s list of designated terrorist groups in alignment with the administration’s dissociation from the military campaign in Yemen. On January 19, however, Biden stated that he is considering re-designating the Houthis as a terrorist organization.
• Saudi Arabia retaliated against the UAE attack by escalating its military campaign on Houthi targets in Yemen, beginning on January 17. 
• On January 21, Saudi forces conducted an airstrike on a Yemeni prison in Saada, killing more than 70 people, including 3 children. 
• On January 24, UAE and U.S. forces intercepted two Houthi missiles above Abu Dhabi. 
• This surge in violence threatens regional security and many are apprehensive that it introduces a new, heightened phase of conflict among the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition.