The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Thursday maintained its right to defend itself and respond to threats against the Arab Coalition forces in southern Yemen.
The move comes after the UAE carried out air strikes on Wednesday and Thursday in Aden against “terrorist organisations” that attacked Saudi-led coalition forces and the city's airport.
The UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called for an international response against the attackers.
Citing the Geneva Convention and international humanitarian law, the ministry said in a statement on Thursday that the strikes were based on intelligence confirming that the targeted militias were looking to attack the Arab Coalition forces in the port city. It added that the strikes were planned to avert any military threat.
“The strikes against the Arab Coalition were launched by armed groups affiliated with terrorist organisations. These armed groups attacked the Arab Coalition at Aden Airport, causing two injuries to the coalition forces. Accordingly, the Coalition responded as per their right of self-defence to protect the security of their forces,” the statement read.
The statement added that the UAE it “will not hesitate to protect the Arab coalition forces when necessary and reserves the right to respond and self-defence”.
“The UAE intelligence departments observed over the past weeks that terrorist cells started to accelerate their activity across Yemeni territories in a way that poses menacing threat to the strides made by the Arab Coalition to uproot the scourge of terrorism in Yemen. This also threatens the efforts made by the coalition to combat the Houthi militia, which is benefiting from the spread of instability and terrorism,” it added.
The ministry said the UAE expresses “deep concern” about the situation in southern Yemen, calling on the international community to act to ensure that terrorist organisations do not return to the area to carry out more attacks.
The statement alluded to the success of the Arab Coalition’s recently in confronting terrorist organisations in Yemen, especially Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
