A suspected Houthi drone attack near Abu Dhabi airport killed at least three people and sparked multiple explosions in the United Arab Emirates' capital on Monday.

By The Levant News newsdesk
An Abu Dhabi police statement said three tanker trucks carrying fuel exploded in the emirate's Mussafah area after catching fire, with preliminary investigations pointing to a drone attack. One Pakistani national and two Indians were killed, and six other people were injured, the UAE's official news agency WAM said.

Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels said they would soon make a statement about "a special military operation that was carried out in the heart of the UAE," the Houthi-owned Al Masirah TV channel said Monday.

Deadly attacks are extremely rare in the UAE, long considered an island of stability in a turbulent region In recent years, Houthi rebels claimed to have launched multiple attacks on the country, but Emirati authorities have denied the allegations."

Abu Dhabi police confirmed that a fire broke out this morning, which led to the explosion of three petroleum tankers in ICAD 3, Mussafah, near ADNOC's storage tanks," a statement said on WAM. "A minor fire also broke out in the new construction area of Abu Dhabi International Airport."

A Levant News reporter heard two explosions with a black plume of smoke rising from the direction of the airport. A UAE fighter jet was also reported to be seen circling the area.

The UAE has been part of a Saudi-led military campaign against the Houthi rebels in Yemen since 2015. On Thursday, the Saudi-led coalition said they detected multiple explosive-lade drones launched from the airport in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, which is controlled by Houthis.

With agencies