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UAE asks US to re-designate Houthis as terror group after attack on Abu Dhabi
By Joseph Haboush
UAE Ambassador to the US Yousef Al Otaiba called on the White House and US lawmakers to support re-designating the Houthis as a terrorist organization on Wednesday, days after a deadly attack by the Iran-backed group killed civilians in Abu Dhabi.
Abu Dhabi was targeted on Monday when drone and missile attacks resulted in the explosion of three fuel tankers. Three people were killed and six others were wounded.
Another fire broke out in the area of the new construction site of the Abu Dhabi International Airport.
“In comments earlier today, Amb Al Otaiba described the Houthi terrorist attacks against civilian sites in the UAE that killed 3 innocent civilians. He called on the Administration and Congress to support re-designating the Houthi terrorist organization as an FTO,” a tweet from the UAE Embassy in the US read.
Al Otaiba also said that he would join Ali Al Shamsi, the UAE Director of National Intelligence, for meetings with officials from the White House and Congress in Washington later in the day.
Separately, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin discussed the recent Houthi attacks on the UAE with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
In a phone call, the officials agreed on the need to respond to the terrorist attack carried out by the Iran-backed Houthis and ways to strengthen air defense systems against missiles and drones, state news agency WAM reported.
A Pentagon readout of the call said Austin “underscored his unwavering support for the security and defense of UAE territory against all threats.”
Originally published in Al Arabiya News.