The UAE said Monday that it intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by Yemen's Huthi rebels toward the Gulf country, the third such incident this month.
According to the UAE defense ministry, "air defenses intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the Huthi terrorist group towards the country."

It went on to say that the debris landed in an unpopulated area and that there were no casualties.

The defense ministry also stated that it destroyed the Huthi missile launcher in Yemen, but did not specify where it was located. 

The UAE declares its "full readiness to deal with any threats" and promises to "take all necessary measures to protect the UAE from any attacks."

The incident on Monday is the third attack on the Emirates this month, with three foreign workers killed in the first attack on January 17 and three more killed in the second, which was intercepted a week later.

It also coincides with Israeli President Isaac Herzog's first official visit to the UAE following the normalization of relations between the two countries in 2020.

However, according to a statement issued by his office on Monday, he will "continue his visit as planned."

The incident, according to UAE authorities, had no impact on air traffic, with flight operations continuing normally. 

Capabilities for defense'

The Iran-backed Huthis have yet to comment on Monday's attack, but have stated that a statement about an operation in the UAE will be released "in the coming hours."The Huthi attacks come in response to a string of rebel defeats in Yemen inflicted by a UAE-trained militia.

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The UAE is a member of a Saudi-led military coalition that is assisting Yemen's government in its fight against the Iran-backed Huthis.

The UAE withdrew its troops from Yemen in 2019, but it remains a powerful player.

An Emirati official said Thursday that Huthi attacks would not become the UAE's "new normal," and vowed a strong defense.

"This is not going to be the new normal for the UAE," an official said on condition of anonymity to AFP.

"We will not give in to the threat of Huthi terror that targets our people and way of life," the official added.

The insurgents have threatened more attacks on the United Arab Emirates, which hosts American troops and is one of the world's largest arms buyers.

"The UAE has world-class defence capabilities that are constantly being updated," the official said, adding that the Huthi rebels "must be" designated as a terrorist organisation.

Yemen's civil war began in 2014, when the Huthis seized the capital Sanaa, prompting Saudi-led forces to intervene the following year to prop up the government. According to the UN, the conflict has killed hundreds of thousands of people directly or indirectly and has put millions on the verge of famine, making it the world's worst humanitarian disaster.