United Arab Emirates denies claim of Yemen missile attack against its plant

DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates today denied a claim by Yemen's Shiite rebels that a rebel missile had been fired toward the country's under-construction nuclear plant.

The rebels, known as Houthis, earlier in the day claimed they had launched a missile toward the plant in Abu Dhabi in the first such strike toward the country.

"The National Emergency and Crisis and Disasters Management Authority denies the claim that the Houthis fired a missile toward the country," the UAE's state-run WAM news agency said.

"The UAE possesses an air defence system capable of dealing with any threat of any type or kind." The statement added that the nuclear power plant was well-protected.

The National, a state-aligned newspaper in Abu Dhabi, also reported that Barakah's operations were "unaffected on Sunday, while sources on the ground confirmed there were no signs of an attack to the structure." The newspaper did not elaborate.

The UAE is a major US ally that hosts some 5,000 American troops and is the US Navy's busiest foreign port of call. The US military's Central Command, which oversees its Mideast operations, as well as the Pentagon, had no immediate comment.

The USD 20 billion Barakah nuclear power plant is in Abu Dhabi's far western desert. The first of its four reactors, being built in the UAE near its border with Saudi Arabia, is scheduled to come online in 2018.

The UAE, like other US Gulf allies in the region, has the Patriot Missile defense system capable of shooting down ballistic missiles and is the only international client to have on delivery the US-made Terminal High Altitude Area Defence system.

The Houthis last month had targeted the Saudi capital, Riyadh, with a ballistic missile that was intercepted by Saudi air defences. It was the deepest strike inside the kingdom since the war between the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthis and their allies began in March 2015.

But for the Houthis to launch a missile from Yemen at the UAE, it would likely have to fly over Saudi Arabia's vast southeastern desert in order to reach Abu Dhabi.

Today's claim came amid heavy fighting in Yemen's capital, Sanaa, where the Houthis are facing off with fighters loyal to the country's former president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, in the fifth straight day of street fighting as the alliance between the two unravels.

The Houthis have accused Saleh of striking deals with the Saudi-led coalition, which has been waging an air campaign against the Houthi-Saleh alliance for nearly three years.

Since the recent clashes erupted, the Saudi coalition has been targeting the Houthis and backing Saleh's camp to control Sanaa. The UAE is an active member of the coalition and its forces have mostly focused on securing the southern region of Yemen.

Senior Houthi official Deif-Allah al-Shami told The Associated Press that the missile fired toward Abu Dhabi was a "message to the United Arab Emiratis for its political and financial support to Saleh." He said that the UAE has hosted members of Saleh's family, including his son who was an ambassador to the UAE and believed to be residing here during the conflict. Al-Shami also said the rocket attack was a message that "we will continue to target every nation that participated in the aggression against Yemen." At least 100 Emirati soldiers have been killed in the war, which was launched to dislodge the Houthis from Sanaa after they overran the capital and kicked out the internationally-backed Yemeni government from power. The conflict has killed more than 10,000 Yemeni civilians and pushed millions to the brink of famine.