Abu Dhabi, UAE (CNN) – A suspected Houthi drone attack near Abu Dhabi airport killed at least three people and sparked multiple explosions in the United Arab Emirates’ capital on Monday.
An Abu Dhabi police statement said three tanker trucks carrying fuel exploded in the emirate’s Mussafah area after catching fire, with preliminary investigations pointing to a drone attack. At least three people were killed and six injured, according to state news agency WAM.
Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels said they would soon make a statement about “a special military operation that was carried out in the heart of the UAE,” the Houthi-owned Al Masirah TV channel said Monday.
“Abu Dhabi police confirmed that a fire broke out this morning, which led to the explosion of three petroleum tankers in ICAD 3, Mussafah, near ADNOC’s storage tanks,” a statement said on WAM. “A minor fire also broke out in the new construction area of Abu Dhabi International Airport.”
A CNN journalist heard two explosions with a black plume of smoke rising from the direction of the airport.
The UAE has been part of a Saudi-led military campaign against the Houthi rebels in Yemen since 2015.
This is a developing story.
Ajayi Funke/CNN