Drone attack may be behind Abu Dhabi tanker explosion, fire

Drones may have sparked an explosion on three oil tankers in Abu Dhabi and may have caused a separate fire at an extension of the emirate's main airport on Monday, according to a statement by police.

Abu Dhabi police described the airport fire as "minor" and said it took place at an extension of the international airport that is still under construction. The statement reported a separate blast on three petroleum transport tankers near a storage facility for ADNOC, Abu Dhabi's state-owned oil company. Yemen's Houthi rebels, meanwhile, claimed to have launched an attack at the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi is the UAE's seat of government and steers the country's foreign policy. Abu Dhabi police said preliminary investigations indicated the detection of small flying objects, possibly belonging to drones, that fell in the two areas and may have caused the explosion and fire.

They said there was no significant damage from the incidents, without offering further details. The incident comes as South Korea's President Moon Jae-in visits the UAE. During the president's meeting with Emirati Prime Minister and Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum on Sunday, the two countries reportedly reached a preliminary deal valued at some $3.5 billion sell mid-range South Korean surface-to-air missiles to the UAE. The UAE has been at war in Yemen since early 2015, and was a key member of the Saudi-led coalition that launched attacks against the Iranian-backed Houthis after the group overran the capital of Yemen and ousted the internationally backed government from power. Houthi military spokesman Yahia Sarei said the group launched an attack deep in the UAE. He did not provide further details, saying a statement would be released soon.

The Houthis have claimed previous attacks on Abu Dhabi's airport, as well as the emirate's Barakah nuclear power plant - claims that Emirati officials have denied in the past. The Houthis have used bomb-laden drones to launch crude and imprecise attacks aimed 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 in key shipping routes. Yemen's government-aligned forces, aided by the UAE-backed Giants Brigades and with help from Saudi airstrikes, reclaimed the entire southern province of Shabwa from the Houthis earlier this month and made advances in nearby Marib province.