Yemen Rebels Claim They Fired Missile At Abu Dhabi Nuclear Plant
3
December, 2017
Two
days after Israel reportedly destroyed an alleged Iranian airbase in
the city of al-Qiswa near Damascus in Syria, Yemen’s Houthi rebels
claimed they fired a cruise missile toward the $20 bilion Barakh
nuclear power plant in Abu Dhabi in the UAE (which is still under
construction) which "successfully hit its target", the
group’s television service said on its website Sunday, however
without providing evidence.
The
launch was in retaliation for the closing of sea and air ports, it
said without offering evidence or providing further details. The
statement quoted a Houthi leader who warned against continuing the
blockade, “affirming Yemenis’ right to take sensitive steps.”
“The
missile force announces the launching of a winged cruise missile …
toward the al-Barakah nuclear reactor in Abu Dhabi,” the website
said. It gave no further details. The claim comes as the United Arab
Emirates, which is part of the Saudi-led coalition, celebrates its
National Day.
The
Barakah nuclear power plant being built in Abu Dhabi’s western
desert.
According
to Reuters, the 4 nuclear reactors at the plant are scheduled for
completion between 2018 and 2020, when they will start operation.
In
September, the UAE’s energy minister said the country’s first
nuclear reactor will “definitely” be operational next year with
the operating company getting a license in 2018. However, the
Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation announced in May that the plant
had received the fuel assemblies for its unit 1 reactor. The fuel
assemblies, the ENEC said in a statement, were being “securely
stored” at the plant.
It
was unclear if the assemblies were still being stored there.
The
Yemen rebels’ claim about striking a target in Abu Dhabi comes amid
heavy fighting in Yemen’s capital, Sana, between the Shiite Houthi
rebels and some of their former allies, who are led by former
President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Mr.
Saleh, who stepped down in 2011 after a mass uprising against his 33
years in office, but he formed an alliance with the Houthis. Since
then, fractures have emerged between the former leader and the
rebels, exacerbating the crisis.
In
a televised speech on Saturday, Mr. Saleh blamed the Houthis’
“idiocy” for the war in Yemen and declared that he was ready to
turn a “new page” in ties with the coalition if it stopped the
attacks on his country.
“I
call upon the brothers in neighboring states and the alliance to stop
their aggression, lift the siege, open the airports and allow food
aid and the saving of the wounded and we will turn a new page by
virtue of our neighborliness,” Mr. Saleh said.
It
is the second time this year the Houthis have said they have fired
missiles toward the UAE. A few months ago they said they had
“successfully” test-fired a missile toward the country. However
on Twitter, the state agency WAM denied the Houthi rebels had
launched a missile toward the United Arab Emirates.
In
a subsequent Tweet, WAM said, “U.A.E. possesses an air defense
system capable of dealing with any threat of any kind and the project
of Barakah reactor is immune.”
On
Sunday, an Iranian analyst, Hamidreza Taraghi, who has close ties to
Iran’s leaders, denied any the country had links to the missile
attack claimed by the Yemen rebels. Quoted by the NYT, he said that
“we have nothing to do with this,” adding that “the Houthis are
very capable of hitting targets without our assistance.” But Iran’s
regional rival, Saudi Arabia, and its allies insist that Iran has
provided the Houthis with such weaponry and say that the rebels are
taking commands from Tehran.
The
nuclear power plant, in Abu Dhabi’s far western desert, is being
built by the Korea Electric Power Corporation near the border with
Saudi Arabia and is scheduled to begin operating next year, the
United Arab Emirates energy minister has said, according to The
Associated Press.
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