The United Arab Emirates intercepted two Houthi ballistic missiles on Monday with no casualties, its defense ministry said, following a deadly attack a week earlier.

“The remnants of the intercepted ballistic missiles fell in separate areas around Abu Dhabi,” the ministry said, adding it was taking necessary protective measures against all attacks.

Iran-backed Houthis who have been battling a Saudi-led coalition that includes the UAE, have repeatedly carried out cross-border missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia and launched an unprecedented assault on the UAE on January 17.

UAE newspaper The National cited residents reporting flashes in the sky over the capital around 4:30 a.m.

Saudi state media early on Monday said the coalition intercepted a ballistic missile, with remnants damaging workshops and vehicles in the south of the kingdom. It said late on Sunday that a ballistic missile fell in the south, injuring two foreigners and causing damage in an industrial area.

The Yemen conflict is largely seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. UAE has reduced its direct military role in the past two years.

The Saudi-led coalition has ramped up air strikes on what it describes as Houthi targets in Yemen.

At least 60 people were killed in a strike on a temporary detention center in northern Saada province on Friday.

The coalition intervened in Yemen in March 2015 months after the Houthis ousted the internationally recognized government from Sanaa.

Source » iranintl