DUBAI (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates (UAE) denied reports on Monday that the Iranian-aligned Houthis in Yemen had attacked Dubai airport with a drone, and said operations were unaffected. The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority “has denied Houthi media claims on the Dubai International Airport, affirming that the UAE air traffic operates business as usual,” the authority said in a statement by state news agency WAM. Houthi-run media said earlier that a Sammad-3 drone had targeted the facility, but did not provide any evidence and there were no reports of damage or casualties.<doc-sep>The United Arab Emirates has denied reports that the Shia Houthi rebel group in Yemen attacked Dubai International airport with drones. The Iran-backed rebels claimed on Monday that a “Samad-3 drone” had hit the world’s third busiest airport, successfully disrupting air traffic “for some time”. The UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority vehemently denied the accusations in a statement to official news agency WAM “affirming UAE air traffic operates business as usual”. Several passengers at Dubai airport also denied the disruption shortly after the news broke, sharing videos on Twitter from within the terminal buildings. Dubai’s airport is the third busiest in the world, according to the Airports Council International, which said that 88 million passengers passed through its terminals in 2017. The UAE is part of a Saudi Arabia-led coalition that has been fighting to oust the Houthi rebels and reinstate Yemen’s recognised government since 2015. The Gulf alliance launched a bombing campaign and ground invasion three years ago, fearing Iranian expansionism on their doorstep after the Houthis swept control of most of the country. A spokesperson for the Houthi military forces, which controls Yemen’s capital Sanaa, told the Houthi-controlled Saba news network on Monday that the drone strike was in response to what it called Gulf coalition “crimes”. “After the bombing of Dubai airport with a [Samad-3], all the strategic areas of the UAE are in the range of air force fire,” the spokesperson added. The Houthis previously claimed in July to have targeted Abu Dhabi airport with a similar drone. The UAE also denied those accusations. However, the Gulf coalition has become increasingly concerned by the capabilities of the rebel group that has successfully hit several targets within bordering Saudi Arabia. In March, one Egyptian migrant worker was killed when the Houthis fired a barrage of ballistic missiles at Riyadh, over 540 miles away from northern Yemen. Last week the rebels claimed to have fired two Zelzal-1 Iranian-made missiles at a gathering of Saudi soldiers in neighbouring Jizan and Najran. The Saudi authorities did not comment on the claim. The three-year conflict in Yemen has devastated the country and sparked the world’s largest humanitarian crisis in terms of numbers, according to the United Nations. Brutal effects of Yemeni war Show all 12 1 /12 Brutal effects of Yemeni war Brutal effects of Yemeni war Yemen organised by the UAE's National Media Council shows a Yemeni woman holding a child diagnosed with malnutrition at a hospital in the southeastern port city of Mukalla, the capital Hadramawt province AFP/Getty Images Brutal effects of Yemeni war Mohamed, 2, is treated for Malnutrition in Mukalla, the capital Hadramawt province, Yemen Bel Trew Brutal effects of Yemeni war a trip in Yemen organised by the UAE's National Media Council (NMC) shows a Yemeni woman holding a child diagnosed with malnutrition at a hospital in the southeastern port city of Mukalla, the capital Hadramawt province. AFP/Getty Images Brutal effects of Yemeni war UAE's National Media Council (NMC) shows a Yemeni woman sitting next to a child diagnosed with malnutrition at a hospital in the southeastern port city of Mukalla, the capital Hadramawt province. AFP/Getty Brutal effects of Yemeni war AFP/Getty Images Brutal effects of Yemeni war Mohamed, 2, is treated for Malnutrition in Mukalla, the capital Hadramawt province, Yemen Bel Trew Brutal effects of Yemeni war A Yemeni child suffering from malnutrition is weighed at a hospital in the northern district of Abs, in Yemen's Hajjah province AFP/Getty Images Brutal effects of Yemeni war A Yemeni child suffering from malnutrition awaits treatment at a hospital in the northern district of Abs, in Yemen's Hajjah province AFP/Getty Images Brutal effects of Yemeni war A Yemeni child suffering from malnutrition awaits treatment at a hospital in the northern district of Abs, in Yemen's Hajjah province AFP/Getty Images Brutal effects of Yemeni war Yemeni nurses weigh a malnourished child at a hospital in the northern district of Yemen's Hajjah province AFP/Getty Images Brutal effects of Yemeni war A Yemeni woman carries a malnourished child as she waits during food distribution in the province of Hodeida AFP/Getty Brutal effects of Yemeni war AFP/Getty Images Over 22 million people, or three-quarters of the population, now rely on humanitarian aid to survive. At least 8 million people, including hundreds of thousands of children, are starving. The Saudi-led coalition has faced heavy criticism for a high civilian death toll in its air strikes and for a crippling air, sea and land blockade on much of country, which it says is essential to stop the flow of weapons to the Houthis. The Houthis, meanwhile, have been accused of laying siege to pro-government areas, halting the delivery of aid and indiscriminate shelling. There is little hope for peace talks, hosted by the United Nations, which are expected to take place at the start of September in Geneva.<doc-sep>SANA’A, YEMEN — A source inside of Yemen’s Air Force said in a statement that an unmanned long-range drone, dubbed the Samad 3 (Invincible-3), targeted Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates — located over 1100 km ( 683 miles) away from Yemen’s capital, Sana’a — in retaliation for recent Saudi-led coalition airstrikes against civilians in Yemen. The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the drone successfully bombed the airport and returned to its base in Yemen, adding “this was the first time that Yemeni forces used a drone to attack the airport.” The UAE is Saudi Arabia’s key ally in its deadly war against Yemen. Yemen’s Army spokesman, General Sharaf Ghaleb Luqman, said the drone’s strike achieved its goal and caused the airport to shut down for some time. No comments have been issued by Emirati aviation authorities thus far, and there are no immediate reports about possible casualties or the extent of damage caused. The unnamed source said that the attack came in retaliation for the Saudi-led coalition’s attack against a school-bus full of children in Dhahian and another attack targeting displaced civilians in Dreihimi, saying “we renew the invitation to investors to stay away from the UAE.” Two weeks ago, the Saudi-led coalition carried out two separate airstrikes targeting children in Yemen. One, north of Sadaa in Dhahian city on August 9, killed more than 30 children; in the second attack, which took place on on August 24, the coalition targeted a group of displaced civilians in Dreihimi, leaving more than 20 children dead. The new drone attack comes one month after the Abu Dhabi International Airport was targeted by Yemeni forces in a separate attack, also using a long-range Sammad-3 unmanned drone, on July 26, 2018. A military source confirmed that Yemeni forces will continue targeting the infrastructure of countries that have taken part in the war against Yemen. The new drone — the Sammad 3 — is named after the late president of the Supreme Political Council, Saleh Ali al-Sammad, who was assassinated in a Saudi-led coalition drone strike in Hodeida on April 23 , 2018. Sammad had been chosen by the only parliament actively operating in Yemen. While Yemen’s Air Force has used drones to carry out attacks on Saudi and UAE fighters in the past — including in a recent strike on coalition bases in the al-Jaribat area of the al-Bayda district — the drone strike in Dubai is the first of its kind, as it struck the UAE’s most important city and commercial center, and is likely to have economic repercussions on the UAE. The U.S.-backed, Saudi-led coalition launched a military campaign against Yemen in 2015, killing civilians including children and women, and targeting hospitals, schools, markets, and camps for the internally displaced. Yemen’s military has responded by firing ballistic missiles and drones against economic and vital targets inside UAE and Saudi Arabia. Top Photo | An Emirates Airline plane taxis at the Dubai airport in the United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, May 9, 2018. Emirates, the Middle East’s largest airline. Kamran Jebreili | AP Ahmed AbdulKareem is a Yemeni journalist. He covers the war in Yemen for MintPress News as well as local Yemeni media.<doc-sep>UAE air traffic operates business as usual. The UAE on Monday denied claims made by the Iranian-aligned Houthis in Yemen regarding Dubai airport, and said operations were unaffected. The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority "has denied Houthi media claims on the Dubai International Airport, affirming that the UAE air traffic operates business as usual". Earlier in the day, the Saudi-led military coalition fighting in Yemen accused the United Nations of "biased" reports on air strikes that allegedly killed dozens of children in rebel-held areas. "The coalition is surprised by the ... biased positions of some reports," said coalition spokesman Turki Al Maliki, adding that the information was "prejudiced" and based on "rebel stories". "We all know that United Nations bodies are under pressure by the Huthi militias...and these reports may have come in response to that pressure," Maliki said.<doc-sep>
Yemen's Houthi movement said yesterday it had attacked Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with a Samad-3 drone, the Houthi-run Al-Masirah website reported. The official Houthi Telegram group channel notified followers of an attack on the airport, adding that "a blow" was achieved by interrupting the airport for some time. "Air strike on Dubai International Airport confirms that all areas of the UAE are in the range of strikes," Houthi sources notified followers. Warning foreign investors to "stay away" from the UAE, as part of a broader strategy to drain the Saudi-led coalition's economy. The group then began sharing screen grabs of the disruption caused to departure flights at Dubai airport. But the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority "has denied Houthi media claims on the Dubai International Airport, affirming that the UAE air traffic operates business as usual," the authority said in a statement carried by state news agency WAM. READ: UN calls for impartial investigation in Yemen Dubai airport is some 1,200 kilometres away from Yemen and is the third busiest in the world, according to the Airports Council International. Some 88 million passengers passed through Dubai terminals in 2017. Late last month, the Houthis claimed an attack on Abu Dhabi airport with a drone, though no evidence was ever seen of the damage. The UAE has been part of a Saudi-led coalition in Yemen since March 2015, aimed at rolling back Houthi territorial gains. The Houthis had taken control of the capital Sanaa and large swathes of the country forcing the international backed government into exile in Saudi Arabia.