Long-Range Drone Attack On Emirates Is Wake-Up Call For Israel

The Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen struck the United Arab Emirates on Monday with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and possibly ballistic missiles. Uzi Rubin of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS), and founder and first director of the Israel Ministry of Defense's Missile Defense Organization, told JNS that the attack--a distance of 1,400 kilometers (869 miles)--is "a leap" and Israel better be paying attention.

"This is a first. They managed to fly something 1,400 kilometers," said Rubin, who helped develop the Arrow, Israel's first missile-defense shield. He noted that the Houthi drone strike on Sept. 14, 2019, which struck Saudi oil-processing facilities at Abqaiq and was launched from Iran, covered a distance of only about 600 to 700 kilometers (about 370 to 435 miles).

"So 1,400 kilometers is a leap in demonstrated capabilities," he said.

The attack hit two sites--the Abu Dhabi International Airport and an industrial district in the southwestern part of the capital. Three were killed and six wounded when three gas tankers exploded. The airport suffered minor damage, closing only briefly. The Houthis said their attack was in retaliation for an attack last week in Yemen by Emirati-backed forces, supported by Saudi airpower, which led to the fall of the oil-rich region of Shabwa, the first significant Houthi military loss in years. READ MORE