UAE intercepts Houthi ballistic missile: defense ministry

The UAE said Monday it intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by Yemen's Houthis towards the Gulf country with no casualties reported, the third such incident this month.

The defense ministry said in a statement that United Arab Emirates "air defences intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the Huthi terrorist group towards the country".

It added that debris fell in an unpopulated area and there were no casualties.

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

The UAE is part of a Saudi-led military coalition that supports Yemen's government against the Iran-backed Houthis.

In 2019, the UAE withdrew its troops from Yemen but remains an influential player.

Yemen's civil war began in 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa, prompting Saudi-led forces to intervene to prop up the government the following year.