Houthi Rebels Were Behind Attack That Killed 45 U.A.E. Soldiers in Yemen
ENLARGEThe bodies of some of the 45 U.A.E. soldiers killed in an attack in Yemen arrive at Al Bateen Airport in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. Photo: European Pressphoto Agency
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels were behind a rocket attack that killed 45 soldiers from the United Arab Emirates, Emirati officials said Saturday, as the country increased airstrikes against the militants in retaliation.
The deaths constitute the largest single-day toll absorbed by the Saudi Arabia-led coalition of mostly Sunni Arab states that has been fighting the Shiite group since March.
Saturday’s airstrikes targeted Houthi positions in the provinces of Al Bayda and Mari’b, where state news agency WAM said a U.A.E. ammunition depot exploded Friday after being hit by a surface-to-surface missile, killing the military personnel.
Dozens of coalition soldiers were killed using a Tochka ballistic missile, the Houthis said on their official Saba news agency.
The attack underscores the increasing danger faced by the Saudi-led coalition, which has mostly been fighting the Houthis from the air, as it increases ground presence in Yemen.
The Saudi-led alliance, including the U.A.E., has carried out extensive airstrikes against the militants since March, but only began deploying ground troops in July.
It began its air campaign after the Houthis took control of the Yemeni capital, San’a and forced President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi into exile in Riyadh.
The U.A.E. has mostly led the ground fight, including recent advances in which areas of southern Yemen, including the strategic port city of Aden, were wrested from Houthi control.
The U.A.E. on Saturday called for three days of mourning, with flags flown at half-mast.
Leaders from across the region, including Egypt, Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan, called Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed to offer their condolences.
On an official Twitter account Friday, U.A.E. minister of state for foreign affairs Anwar Gargashcalled the incident a “great tragedy,” but said his country remained committed to the operation in Yemen.
The Gulf State has now lost more than 50 soldiers in Yemen since it entered the conflict.
Saudi Arabia has lost nearly 100 military personnel, most of whom died in attacks on the border it shares with Yemen.
Bahrain also announced on Friday it had lost five military personnel in Yemen. It wasn’t clear if the soldiers had died in the same operations as those from the U.A.E.
Yemen’s security situation is increasingly fragile as the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition trade blows and armed extremist groups work to establish control over parts of the country.
The United Nations estimates that more than 3,000 people, mostly civilians, have died in Yemen since March.
Write to Rory Jones at rory.jones@wsj.com and Ahmed Al Omran at Ahmed.AlOmran@wsj.com
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