Satellite photos show aftermath of Abu Dhabi oil site attack

2 years ago 336

DUBAI – Satellite photos obtained by The Associated Press connected Tuesday look to amusement the aftermath of a fatal onslaught connected an lipid installation successful the superior of the United Arab Emirates claimed by Yemen's Houthi rebels.

The onslaught brought the long-running Yemen warfare into Emirati territory connected Monday. That struggle raged connected overnight with Saudi-led airstrikes pounding Yemen's capital, Sanaa, sidesplitting and wounding civilians.

Meanwhile, fears implicit caller disruptions to planetary vigor supplies aft the Abu Dhabi onslaught pushed benchmark Brent crude to its highest terms successful years.

The images by Planet Labs PBC analyzed by the AP amusement fume rising implicit an Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. substance depot successful the Mussafah vicinity of Abu Dhabi aft the attack. Another representation taken soon aft appears to amusement scorch marks and achromatic fire-suppressing foam deployed connected the grounds of the depot.

The Abu Dhabi National Oil Co., known by the acronym ADNOC, is the state-owned vigor steadfast that provides overmuch of the wealthiness of the UAE, a federation of 7 sheikhdoms connected the Arabian Peninsula besides location to Dubai.

Ad

ADNOC did not respond to questions from the AP asking astir the tract and harm estimates from the attack. The institution had said the onslaught happened astir 10 a.m. Monday.

“We are moving intimately with the applicable authorities to find the nonstop origin and a elaborate probe has commenced,” ADNOC said successful an earlier statement.

The onslaught killed 2 Indian nationals and 1 Pakistani arsenic 3 tankers astatine the tract exploded, constabulary said. Six radical were besides wounded astatine the facility, which is adjacent Al-Dhafra Air Base, a monolithic Emirati installation besides location to American and French forces.

Another occurrence besides struck Abu Dhabi International Airport, though harm successful that onslaught could not beryllium seen. Journalists person not been capable to presumption the sites attacked and state-run media person not published photographs of the areas.

Police described the battle arsenic a suspected drone attack. The Houthis person described utilizing cruise and ballistic missiles successful the attack, without offering evidence.

Ad

Meanwhile Tuesday, the Saudi-led conjugation warring successful Yemen announced it had started a bombing run targeting Houthi sites successful the superior of Sanaa. It said it besides struck a drone operating basal successful Nabi Shuaib Mountain adjacent Sanaa.

Overnight videos released by the Houthis showed damage, with the rebels saying the onslaught killed astatine slightest 12 people. Sanaa nonmigratory Hassan al-Ahdal said 1 airstrike deed the location of Brig. Gen. Abdalla Kassem al-Junaid, who heads the Air Academy. He said astatine slightest 3 families were surviving successful the house. Another adjunct location with a four-member household was damaged.

The Saudi-led conjugation has faced planetary disapproval for airstrikes hitting civilian targets amid the war.

For hours Monday, Emirati officials did not admit the Houthi claims implicit the Abu Dhabi attack, adjacent arsenic different countries condemned the assault. Senior Emirati diplomat Anwar Gargash broke the soundlessness connected Twitter, saying that Emirati authorities were handling the rebel group’s “vicious onslaught connected immoderate civilian facilities” with “transparency and responsibility.”

Ad

The bureau of South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who had been successful the Emirates connected a authorities visit, said helium spoke to Abu Dhabi's almighty Crown Prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, instantly aft the attack.

The connection quoted Sheikh Mohammed arsenic saying the onslaught had been “anticipated.” The 2 had been scheduled to conscionable during Moon's sojourn but the lawsuit had been cancelled anterior to the onslaught implicit an “unforeseen and urgent substance of state,” according to Moon's office.

The Emirati Foreign Ministry did not instantly respond to a petition for remark implicit Moon's statement.

Fears implicit aboriginal attacks reaching the UAE, a large lipid shaper and OPEC member, helped propulsion Brent crude lipid prices to their highest level successful 7 years. On Tuesday, a tube of Brent crude traded astatine implicit $87.50 a barrel, a terms unseen since October 2014.

Although the UAE has mostly withdrawn its ain forces from Yemen, it is inactive actively engaged successful the struggle and supports Yemeni militias warring the Houthis.

Ad

The incidental comes arsenic the Houthis look unit and are suffering dense losses. Yemeni authorities forces, allied and backed by the UAE, person pushed backmost the rebels successful cardinal provinces. Aided by the Emirati-backed Giants Brigades, the authorities forces took backmost the state of Shabwa earlier this period successful a stroke to Houthi efforts to implicit their power of the full bluish fractional of Yemen.

While Emirati troops person been killed implicit the people of the conflict, present successful its 8 year, the warfare has not straight affected regular beingness successful the wider UAE, a state with a immense overseas workforce.

___

Associated Press writers Isabel DeBre successful Dubai, Samy Magdy successful Cairo and Kim Tong-hyung successful Seoul, South Korea, contributed to this report.

___

Follow Jon Gambrell connected twitter astatine www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.

Read Entire Article