Abu Dhabi terror attack: global leaders condemn Houthi strikes in UAE

Kings of Jordan and Morocco, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken were among those who expressed their support on Monday

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  World leaders have condemned the attack and offered their support to the Emirates. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called his Emirati counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed to express his condolences. Reuters

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  A mass funeral for pro-Houthi rebels. In oil-rich Shabwa province, 40 rebels were killed 10 days ago when the Southern Transitional Council seized a military base, while as many as 280 died in air strikes on Marib and Al Bayda at the weekend. EPA

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  Dr Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to President Sheikh Khalifa, said the attack on Abu Dhabi airport and an Adnoc oil storage unit in Mussaffah was a 'heinous crime' by a terrorist group. Navin Khianey for The National

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  Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke to Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, on Monday night to offer his support. Riyadh and other cities have been struck by dozens of Houthi drones in recent months. AFP

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  Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed received calls from leaders across the globe on Monday night. Photo: Ministry of Presidential Affairs

Global figures have spoken by phone with UAE leaders and officials to condemn the attack by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

King Abdullah II of Jordan and Morocco's King Mohammed VI were among the first to call Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, on Monday to express their support for the UAE following the “heinous attacks".

Three people were killed after small flying objects, possibly drones, hit a number of fuel lorries and started a fire at Adnoc's petroleum storage unit in the ICAD industrial area of Mussaffah in Abu Dhabi at about 10am. Six others suffered mild to moderate injuries.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud also spoke with Sheikh Mohamed on Monday.

The two leaders affirmed that such terrorist attacks that target the kingdom and the UAE solidify the two nations' determination to jointly stand up to these acts of aggression, state news agency Wam reported.

The Saudi and UAE leaders affirmed "the need for the international community to stand up to these flagrant violations of international laws and norms and to condemn these terrorist crimes that threaten regional and international peace and security."

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke by phone with Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, to express his condolences and discuss co-ordinating a response.

In a statement, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan labelled the strike a “terrorist attack” and expressed support for the UAE.

“The United States strongly condemns today’s terrorist attack in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, which killed three innocent civilians,” Mr Sullivan said.

The UK's foreign secretary Liz Truss wrote on Twitter to express her condemnation of the attack "in the strongest terms".

Marise Payne, Australia's Foreign Minister, condemned "the indiscriminate Houthi attacks on civilians" on social media and expressed support for the UAE's "right to self-defence".

Several regional foreign ministers called Sheikh Abdullah to express their solidarity with the UAE, including Bahrain's Abdullatif Al Zayani, Egypt's Sameh Shoukry, Saudi Arabia's Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Kuwait's Sheikh Ahmed Nasser Al Mohammed Al Sabah and Yemen's Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak.

Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Dendias also issued his strongest condemnations in a call with Sheikh Abdullah.

Speaker of Iraq's Council of Representatives Mohammed Al Halbousi spoke by phone with Saqr Ghobash, Speaker of the Federal National Council, to deliver his country's strong denunciation and condemnation of the Houthi attacks on civil facilities.

Gen Mohammed Hamdan Daglo, deputy chairman of Sudan's Sovereign Transitional Council, called Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, to relay his “strong condemnation and denunciation of the terrorist attack by the terrorist Houthi militia that targeted civil facilities in the UAE and led to the death of civilians”, Wam reported.