Gulf states are worried because of the Biden administration's lackluster response to the recent attack on the United Arab Emirates by Yemen's Houthi rebels early Monday, as President Isaac Herzog visited the country, a Bahrain-based scholar told Israel Hayom. The attack had the UAE forces intercept a ballistic missile fired by the Iranian-back Houthis.
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"The air defense system did a good job at intercepting the missile before it hit the target," Mr. Amjad Taha, an Arab-British journalist who lives in Bahrain and is close to leading officials there, told Israel Hayom. Taha is also the regional director of the British Middle East Center for Studies and Research.
"Believe it or not, without the media people wouldn't have known about the missile because the system responded immediately," he said.
"As for the US, things are very concerning. Many of us are not so happy about the fact that the Biden administration has not responded strongly to the attack. These attacks by the Houthis, who are being supported by Iran, are meant to harm US interests in the UAE and elsewhere. In fact, the diplomacy of the Biden administration has failed."
According to Taha, Washington's inaction is adversely affecting the entire Middle East, including Israel. "If there is a common enemy, then it is the terrorists, and they are mostly supported by Iran," he said and called for coordination between the US, Israel, and other countries in the region against the Houthis."
A year ago, the US removed Houthi rebels from its list of designated terrorist organizations. However, according to some sources, after an attack by the Houthis killed three foreign nationals in January in the UAE, it planned to ask the administration to reclassify them as a terrorist group.
Taha also drew parallels between the Houthis and Hamas. "There is no difference today between the Houthis in Yemen and the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza. Hamas uses people as human shields, and so do the Houthis. Both groups are backed by Iran, and Houthis call for the destruction of Israel, just like Hamas.
"Hamas has also congratulated the Houthis on their attack on the Saudis. There was an entire demonstration in Gaza in support of the Houthi terrorist group, calling on the Houthis to bomb the UAE."
With regard to technological, economic, and security ties between Jerusalem and Abu Dhabi, Taha said they will only continue to flourish. Following Sunday's missile attack, Emirati diplomatic adviser Anwar Gargash said the UAE was "determined to achieve the goals and strategic vision that will contribute to building a stable and prosperous region for all.
"Provocation will never work because we see the threats of the terrorist organizations and their illusions as nothing more than a passing matter that will be addressed in a way that ensures the security and sovereignty of our homeland."
Shortly after the attack, the UAE Defense Ministry reported no casualties or damage from the attack, with Herzog's trip continuing uninterrupted.
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