SAWT BEIRUT INTERNATIONAL

| 25 April 2024, Thursday |

UAE summons people for sharing videos of missile attack interception

The public prosecutor’s office in the United Arab Emirates announced on Wednesday that it has summoned several persons for uploading videos of defense systems intercepting a missile strike by Yemen’s Houthi movement on Monday.

The UAE, the region’s business and tourism powerhouse, seldom discusses its security in public, but it had verified the two Houthi raids, which occurred a week apart, in the Gulf state’s first assaults.

“The Public Prosecution cautioned that such (video) clips imperil essential and military sites and can have an influence on the security and stability of society,” according to a statement by the state news outlet WAM. It did not say how many persons were summoned or what their present condition was.

“The Public Prosecution will carry out its responsibilities in applying the law in all firmness towards these crimes and the perpetrators,” the statement said.

Monday’s strike, aimed at a base in Abu Dhabi hosting U.S. forces, was thwarted by American-built Patriot interceptors, following an earlier deadly strike on a fuel depot.

Unverified footage that circulated on social media appeared to show moving lights from anti-projectile defences being fired into the pre-dawn sky over the UAE capital that day.

The Public Prosecution said “deterrent legal measures” would be taken against those publishing such material in the UAE, which prides itself as a safe business haven and global tourist destination.

The Houthis are battling a Saudi-led military coalition that includes the UAE. A senior Emirati diplomat has said the UAE may upgrade its defensive capabilities following the assaults.

    Source:
  • Reuters