TEHRAN - The British Foreign Ministry has issued a statement warning of an attack on the UAE, calling on its citizens to be wary.

“Public media reported that there might be attempts to launch missiles at the UAE. In any case, you should consider the local media report and follow the advice of local authorities. You must take precautions to protect yourself and your property,” said the published statement.

Referring to this threat, Rai Alyoum newspaper wrote: “When the British government warns its citizens in UAE that it is aware of the existence of a threat to them and advises them to be extremely alert, this warning is not futile and is based on reliable security intelligence, especially as this country is the United Arab Emirates.”
The British Foreign Ministry has officially warned all its nationals in the UAE or those intending to travel to its cities, in particular Dubai and Abu Dhabi, to receive information on the nature of the threat against the UAE, most notably the possibility of Yemeni ballistic missiles.

This sudden and dangerous threat will certainly be harmful for the UAE for its security and economic implications. It will have a negative impact as the UAE it is one of the most stable countries in the Middle East, with significant economic prosperity and investment and tourism from all over the world.

The unprecedented warnings coincide with the escalation of the Yemen war in Al Hudaydah on the western Yemeni coast after the Emirates decided to attack the city. This port receives more than 70 percent of Yemen's imports. The British government knows Yemen very well and has information that the current conflict in Al Hudaydah is not limited within its borders and may extend even to the UAE, with missiles, as it has already to Saudi Arabia.

Ansarullah has launched more than 120 missiles at Saudi Arabian cities such as Riyadh, Jeddah, Ta'if, Khamis Mushait, Jizan and Najran. Did the British government got knowledge that Ansarullah’s patience has come to an end? Perhaps.

Emirati cities are allegedly protected by Patriot missile defense systems but the system is not trusted and the psychological impact of Yemeni missiles striking the UAE would be huge, especially if the targets are Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

A Bahraini human rights activist, Nader Mansour al-Ghamar, wrote on Facebook: “The Houthis have sent a message to the Sultanate of Oman with a view to transferring it to the Emirates. It has been emphasized that it will soon target the UAE with ballistic missiles.”

The Houthis have said that the Saudi-led coalition crossed a red line by using forbidden bombs, perhaps tiny nuclear bombs, that caused many casualties.
The British advised their nationals in the United Arab Emirates to immediately leave this country. Other countries are expected to have similar recommendations to their nationals to leave the UAE.  Over one a million British tourists go to the UAE every year and 100,000 British citizens live in the UAE. If many British and other foreigners leave the UAE, it could impact the economy.

Yemen's army spokesman Brigadier General Sharaf Loghman announced that the UEA’s recent move in Al Hudayda faces a strong reaction. He warned investors in the Emirates that it is not a safe place to be.

The leader of Yemen's popular Houthi Ansarullah movement, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, recently called on foreign companies to shut down investment in the UAE and leave the country.

The head of the Human Rights and Legal Department of the Political Bureau of Ansarallah, Abdul Wahab al-Mahbashi, said:

“Strategic plans, especially military and economic, in the UAE are targeted by Yemeni forces and missiles. Yemeni missiles are capable because a nuclear power plant was previously targeted in Abu Dhabi and the plant inauguration, scheduled for last year, was postponed to 2019, following a Yemeni missile strike.”
The UAE may be in for a very hot summer indeed.