ADEN, Yemen, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi rebel militia on Monday claimed responsibility for striking numerous vital sites deep inside Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with ballistic missiles and explosive-laden drones.
Al Dhafra Air Base and other sensitive sites in the UAE's capital Abu Dhabi, and vital sites in Dubai were the targets of the strike, the Houthi military spokesman Yehya Sarea said in a statement.
The militia also struck several military bases in Saudi Arabia's Sharurah and other regions "with a large number of drones," and fired ballistic missile against vital and sensitive areas in the regions of Jazan and Asir, Sarea added.
The Houthi spokesman reiterated his call for foreign companies and investors in the UAE to leave as it has become "unsafe."
"The UAE will be constantly targeted as long as it continues its aggression and siege of the Yemeni people," he explained.
Earlier in the day, the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen announced destruction of a ballistic missile fired by the Houthi militia against the Saudi governorate of Dhahran Al Janub, while the UAE announced interception of two Houthi-fired missiles targeted at Abu Dhabi.
According to the coalition, the strike caused material loss but no casualty inside Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, the UAE Defense Ministry also said in a statement released by the official WAM news agency that the attack caused no human casualties, adding fragments of the missiles fell in various locations around Abu Dhabi.
The UAE ministry underlined its readiness to deal with any threats and said it would "take all necessary measures to protect the state from all attacks."
The strike came just a week after the Iran-backed Houthis claimed responsibility for a drones attack on three oil tankers in the Mussafah area of the UAE, killing three civilians and injuring six others.
During the past 24 hours, the Saudi-led coalition launched a series of airstrikes targeting various locations controlled by the Houthi militia across Yemen.
In Yemen's Houthi-controlled province of al-Jawf, the Saudi-led coalition claimed to have destroyed the launch pad from which ballistic missiles were fired against Abu Dhabi.
Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Houthi militia seized control of several northern provinces and forced the internationally recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa. ■
