Photo Credit: Shahid Ahmed Siddiqi via Flickr
Al Wahda Mall, Abu Dhabi

At least two explosions were heard in the United Arab Emirates capital of Abu Dhabi at around midnight Tuesday night. There are conflicting reports about the cause of the blasts.

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Media affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reported that Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen launched a drone strike at Abu Dhabi, according to Middle East journalist Babak Taghvaee.

According to the UAE’s official WAM news agency, however, the blasts and fire were caused by a gas cylinder explosion. The news agency said Abu Dhabi civil defense teams extinguished a fire in a building on Hamdan Street, adding that no injuries or casualties were reported.

“The teams managed to extinguish the fire and safely vacate the residents,” WAM reported. “Cooling procedures to minimize the damage are under way.

According to Jon Gambrell, Associated Press news director for the Gulf and Iran, “The US Embassy in Abu Dhabi later warned Americans of “reports of a possible missile or drone strike having occurred over Abu Dhabi.” He added the Houthis and their associated media had not immediately claimed responsibility for any attack.

The Houthis have carried out several attacks on the United Arab Emirates over the past several weeks.

This is a developing story.


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Hana Levi Julian is a Middle East news analyst with a degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from Southern Connecticut State University. A past columnist with The Jewish Press and senior editor at Arutz 7, Ms. Julian has written for Babble.com, Chabad.org and other media outlets, in addition to her years working in broadcast journalism.