UAE shoots down another Houthi ballistic missile amidst Israeli president's visit
Dubai, Jan 31: The UAE's air defence forces on Monday intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by Yemen's Houthi rebels group towards it, the country's Ministry of Defence said, amidst a historic visit by Israel's President Isaac Herzog.
There were no casualties resulting from the attack and the fragments of the ballistic missile fell outside of populated areas, the ministry said in a statement to the country's official WAM news agency.
The UAE air defence forces and the Coalition Command had succeeded in destroying the missile launcher in Yemen after identifying locations of the sites, it said.
In a tweet, the ministry said that the platform for ballistic missile launch at Al Jawf in Yemen was destroyed at 12.50 AM (local time). A video of the destruction was also shared.
The ministry also affirmed its full readiness to deal with any threats, adding that it will take all necessary measures to protect the UAE from any attacks.
It also called on the public to follow the news on the latest missile attack from the UAE's official authorities.
Meanwhile, the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) said that the air traffic movement is normal and all flights are operating as usual as there was no impact on air traffic .
In a statement to WAM, the GCAA said that there is no impact on flights and airports resulting from the interception of the ballistic missile launched by the Houthi terrorist militia on the country.
Abu Dhabi and Dubai are important global aviation hubs in the region.
The GCAA also called on the public to refer to official sources for all information and updates.
The missile attack came hours after Israel's President Herzog met Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
In September 2020, Israel and the UAE normalised their relations in a US-brokered agreement with the Emirates becoming the first Gulf country to establish formal ties with the Jewish state, and the third Arab country ever to do so after Egypt and Jordan in 1979 and 1994, respectively.
Last month, in a historic visit, Israel's Prime Minister Naftali Bennett visited the UAE and met the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince.
Last week also, the UAE intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles that the Houthi rebel group fired towards its capital Abu Dhabi.
On the morning of January 17, Yemen's Houthi rebels targeted a fuel depot in Abu Dhabi and the city's main airport, heightening tensions in the oil-exporting region.
They targeted the Musaffah ICAD 3 area and the new construction area at Abu Dhabi International Airport, both of which are civilian infrastructure.
The attacks, which led to the explosion of three petroleum tankers, killed two Indians and one Pakistani national and injured six other civilians.
The UN Security Council had strongly condemned the "heinous" terror attacks in Abu Dhabi in which two Indians and a Pakistani civilian were killed and expressed condolences to the families of the victims.
In a press statement issued by the 15-nation Council, the powerful UN organ condemned in the strongest terms the heinous terrorist attacks in Abu Dhabi on January 17, as well as in other sites in Saudi Arabia.
The members of the Security Council expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims of the Houthi attacks and to the Governments of India and Pakistan, and they wished a speedy and full recovery to those who were injured, the statement said.
The Council members reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security.
Days after the January 17 attack, the UAE government banned all flying operations of private drones and light sports aircraft in the Gulf country for a month.
According to the statement, the ban also encompasses air and sail spots.
The Houthi rebels have taken responsibility for several drone attacks on Saudi Arabian oil facilities in the past.
The UAE is part of the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen fighting the Houthis.
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Ajit Pawar death: ‘Zero FIR’ registered in Bengaluru
Bengaluru (PTI): The Bengaluru police have registered a case related to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s death in a plane crash in Baramati on a complaint by his nephew Rohit Pawar, who has alleged that the tragedy was a result of a "larger criminal conspiracy” to eliminate his uncle.
Pawar was killed on January 28 when a Bombardier Learjet 45 aircraft, operated by VSR Ventures Private Limited, crashed near Baramati Airport, Pune, Maharashtra.
The aircraft was on a flight from Mumbai to Baramati and was carrying Ajit Pawar and four others on board, who were all killed in the crash.
Based on the complaint, the High Grounds police registered ‘Zero FIR’, which can be registered at any police station, irrespective of where the offence was committed.
“We have registered a zero FIR and transferred it to the Maharashtra police for investigation,” a senior police officer told PTI.
Rohit Pawar said he had previously approached Marine Drive Police Station on February 25 and Baramati Police Station on February 26 without an FIR being registered, “and was subsequently informed by Pune CID that they were examining only the Accidental Death Report angle”.
“The complainant contends that the incident was a result of a larger criminal conspiracy aimed at eliminating the Deputy Chief Minister,” the complaint read.
Rohit claimed that there were “systematic violations” of aviation safety regulations, deliberate falsification of records, gross negligence in maintenance and operations, and a pattern of conduct which led to the incident.
According to him, on February 24, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in its safety audit report “declared and admitted” that aircraft of the VSR Company were “negligent, not airworthy” and therefore were grounded as part of the DGCA investigation in the crash of the charter plane.
He alleged that the aircraft VT-SSK was being operated in systematic violation of mandatory safety standards.
At the time of the crash, the aircraft had accumulated approximately 4,915 flight hours, leaving only about 85 hours before the mandatory engine Time Before Overhaul ('TBO') threshold of 5,000 hours was reached, he charged.
“Despite operating dangerously close to this limit, VSR continued to deploy the aircraft for commercial operations, placing the crew and passengers at heightened risk of mechanical malfunction,” said Rohit Pawar.
He suspected that the aircraft may have infact accumulated flight hours in excess of 8,000 hours, far beyond its certified safe operational limits.
“This deliberate suppression and misrepresentation of flight data amounts to falsification of statutory maintenance records and constitutes a serious violation of aviation safety regulations as enumerated in the complaint,” Rohit Pawar said.
He charged that “this pattern of falsification” allowed continued commercial operation of a fundamentally unsafe aircraft.
“The DGCA's certification records for aircraft VT-SSK disclose procedurally anomalous and potentially fabricated documentation. The Airworthiness Certificate for the aircraft was issued on December 16, 2021, while the Aircraft Registration Certificate was only issued on 27th December 2022, a full year later.”
Standard aviation procedure requires that registration precede airworthiness certification.
“This reversal of prescribed sequence suggests either gross administrative failure or deliberate manipulation of records at the DGCA level,” Rohit said.
He also alleged that the Chief Pilot Sumit Kapoor, who commanded the aircraft on the day of the crash, had a documented history of alcohol-related violations, leading to a three-year suspension of his flying privileges by the DGCA.
“The original crew scheduled for the flight, Captain Sahil Madan and Co-pilot Yash, were last-minute replaced by Kapoor and Co-pilot Shambhavi Pathak, purportedly because the original crew was 'stuck in traffic' at 6.30 am. This explanation is implausible given the time of day,” Rohit stated.
Rohit said Ajit Pawar had originally planned to travel to Pune by road on the evening of January 27 with a full motorcade arranged.
“He remained in Mumbai without disclosed reason. The flight itself was delayed by seventy minutes from its original 7 am departure, with no credible explanation provided. The crew initially requested the safer Runway 29 and then, two minutes later, switched to Runway 11, the more dangerous tabletop runway without any apparent operational justification,” Rohit alleged.
In the final recorded seconds of the flight, co-pilot Shambhavi Pathak said something while Kapoor was entirely silent.
This complete absence of response from the commanding pilot in a life-threatening emergency is consistent with either incapacitation due to alcohol or deliberate inaction.
