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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NDA's win in Bihar Assembly bypolls a matter of concern: Prashant Kishor
Patna, Nov 23: Political strategist turned activist Prashant Kishor on Saturday dubbed as "a matter of concern" the NDA's win in assembly by-polls in Bihar despite "failure" of the BJP-led coalition to end the state's chronic backwardness during it's decades-long rule.
Talking to reporters here shortly after the results were out, Kishor also drew succour from the fact that his fledgling Jan Suraaj won "10 per cent" of the total votes polled in four seats, but rubbished the claim that it had played a role in the RJD's defeat in three of these.
"RJD is a 30-year-old party. The son of its state president finished third. Can Jan Suraaj be faulted for that? In Belaganj all Muslim votes went to the JD(U) candidate. In Imamganj, the Jan Suraaj cut into NDA votes. Else, the victory margin of (Union minister) Jitan Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha would have been bigger", asserted Kishor.
Notably, Imamganj, a reserved seat, was retained by Manjhi's daughter-in-law Deepa, who defeated the RJD candidate by a thin margin of less than 6,000 votes. Jan Suraaj candidate Jitendra Paswan finished third, polling more than 37,000 votes.
When pointed out that in three of the four seats, candidates of Jan Suraaj had polled less than one-sixth of the total votes and ran the risk of losing their deposits, Kishor shot back "That should not be a matter of concern (chinta ki baat). If there is a matter of concern, it is the ability of the NDA to make a clean sweep despite having ruled Bihar for so long and "failed" to end the state's backwardness".
The IPAC founder, who had a brief stint in the JD(U), insisted that the party's supremo Nitish Kumar, the Chief Minister of Bihar, was a "spent force" and its candidate, former MLC Manorama Devi, had won on her own steam.
"We have always said that our fight is with NDA, not with RJD despite its claim of being the largest party in Bihar.....(but) Nitish Kumar is no factor. His party polled just about 11 per cent of total votes", said Kishor.
About his own party's inability to make a mark, Kishor said "We have secured 10 per cent votes..... in seats where Jan Suraaj had no presence since these areas were yet to be covered by my padyatra. Also, please note that we got our poll symbol after filing of nomination papers was over".
He also maintained that the Jan Suraaj will go solo in the assembly polls due next year when it will contest "all 243 seats".
"We were initially written off but by garnering about 10 per cent votes, in a state known to vote along predictable caste lines, we have proved a point. In the next few months we shall be strengthening the organization to ensure that vote share of the Jan Suraaj improves", he said.
