UAE/YEMEN: INTENSIFIED HOUTHI ATTACKS THREATEN TO BURST THE UAE’S SECURITY BUBBLE

   Wed, 02 February 2022

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis have intensified their regional missile and drone attacks and are increasingly focusing on the UAE rather than neighbouring Saudi Arabia. The airstrikes in January are likely driven by the group's territorial setbacks in Yemen and are likely retaliation for the UAE's renewed involvement in the conflict. This may now increase US military and diplomatic support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen and put fresh pressure on Iran-backed Houthi rebels. The Houthi targeting of the UAE could provoke a cycle of such strikes that undermines the emirates’ reputation as a peaceful business hub, which could have a dramatic impact on tourists and investors. The events have alarming echoes of 2019 when critical energy flows from the region were threatened, and Saudi oil infrastructure was attacked.