Feb 3, 2022: According to a report by Reuters, the UAE said it intercepted three drones that entered its airspace over unpopulated areas early on Wednesday in the fourth such attack on the Gulf commercial and tourism hub in the past few weeks.

The first three strikes, including a missile strike during the Israeli president’s visit on Monday, were carried out by Yemen’s Iranian-linked Houthi rebels.

The Houthis have not yet announced a new operation, and an unidentified group calling itself the “True Promise Brigades” claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s drone strike, according to the US-based SITE Intelligence Group. The group’s only other claim was in January 2021, when it said it had launched a drone over Saudi Arabia, which is embroiled in several proxy disputes with rival Iran, including Yemen.

In response to the spate of recent attacks, the UAE defence ministry said it was “ready to deal with any threats” and was taking “all necessary measures” to protect the country which prizes its reputation as a safe business haven.

On Tuesday, the US said it was sending fighter jets to help the UAE in the aftermath of the attacks, one of which was aimed at a base hosting US forces, and the other after the January 17 attack in Abu Dhabi in which three people were killed.

The Houthis had focused on cross-border attacks on Saudi Arabia, but were pushed to the UAE last month after UAE-backed local forces joined the fight against the group in energy-producing areas.

If confirmed, the claim by the “True Promise Brigade” could indicate an upswing in violence involving militias seeking to help ally Iran oppose Western and Gulf Arab adversaries, according to some analysts.