Footage of Yemeni Forces Striking Abu Dhabi Airport ‎Released

By Staff, Agencies

Yemen's Joint Operations Command Center released footage verifying a retaliatory operation on the Abu Dhabi International Airport carried out last year, which had been denied by officials of the United Arab Emirates.

The video, aired by Yemeni al-Masirah network, shows a Sammad-3 [Invincible-3] unmanned aerial vehicle flying at low altitude before it fires a missile, setting two trucks parked at the airport ablaze.

The operation took place on July 26, 2018 when Yemeni army soldiers, backed by allied fighters from Popular Committees, launched an airstrike against the airport using a domestically-built long-endurance Sammad-3 [Invincible-3] unmanned aerial vehicle.

Abdullah al-Jafri, a spokesman for Yemeni air force and air defense, said at the time that the drone operation on Abu Dhabi International Airport had halted flights to and from the airport, adding that this was the first time that Yemeni forces used a drone to strike the airport.

He added that Yemeni forces will continue to target the infrastructure of countries that have taken part in the aggression against Yemen in future operations.

Emirati aviation authorities later denied the operation, announcing that an incident involving a supply vehicle in the Terminal 1 airside area of the airport had occurred at around 4 p.m. local time [1200 GMT].

UAE officials also claimed that the development had not affected operations at Abu Dhabi International Airport, and flights continued to arrive and depart as scheduled.

The UAE is Saudi Arabia’s key ally in its deadly war against Yemen.

Saudi Arabia and a number of its regional allies launched a devastating campaign against Yemen in March 2015, with the goal of bringing the government of former Yemeni president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi back to power and crushing the Ansarullah movement.