Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Fresno Leaders Voice ‘Full Support’ for Pismo’s Restaurant Manager in ICE Custody

18 hours ago

Poll: Katie Porter Holds Early Edge in California Governor’s Race

20 hours ago

Just 38% of Americans Support Trump’s Use of Troops to Police DC, Reuters/Ipsos Poll Finds

21 hours ago

Families Leave Gaza City After Night of Bombardment, Israelis Protest

23 hours ago

California Farming Couple Seeks $300 Million for Aspen Estate

24 hours ago

Trump Administration Cannot Sue Maryland Federal Judges Over Immigration Order, Judge Rules

1 day ago

California Republicans Sue to Block Congressional Redistricting Plan

2 days ago

Trump To Sign Executive Order Directing AG To Prosecute Flag Desecration

2 days ago

Fresno County DUI Crash Sends Car Into Embankment Near Highway 99

2 days ago
Bomb-Laden Drones of Yemen Rebels Threaten Arabian Peninsula
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
May 16, 2019

Share

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A Yemen rebel drone strike this week on a critical Saudi oil pipeline shows that the otherwise-peaceful sandy reaches of the Arabian Peninsula now are at risk of similar assault, including an under-construction nuclear power plant and Dubai International Airport, among the world’s busiest.

“These installations are easily findable like on Google Earth. Once you get in the vicinity, that alone has that kind of effect of showing that the reach is there.” Tim Michetti, an expert on illicit weapons technology with experience in Yemen

U.N. investigators said the Houthis’ new UAV-X drone, found in recent months during the Saudi-led coalition’s war in Yemen, likely has a range of up to 930 miles.

That puts the far reaches of both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the two main opponents of the Iranian-allied Houthi rebels in Yemen, within reach of drones difficult to detect and track. Their relatively simple design, coupled with readily available information online, makes targeting even easier, analysts say.

“These installations are easily findable like on Google Earth,” said Tim Michetti, an expert on illicit weapons technology with experience in Yemen. “Once you get in the vicinity, that alone has that kind of effect of showing that the reach is there.”

The drone attacks come amid heightened tensions between Iran and the U.S., a year after President Donald Trump pulled America out of Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers. The White House has ordered an aircraft carrier and bombers into the region over a still-unexplained threat from Iran, while nonessential employees at U.S. diplomatic posts in Iraq have been ordered to leave the country.

On Sunday, the United Arab Emirates alleged four oil tankers off its eastern coast were targeted by sabotage. On Tuesday, the Houthis say they launched seven drones to target Saudi Arabia. The drones stuck pumping stations along the kingdom’s crucial East-West Pipeline, causing minor damage, Saudi officials say.

Saudi Officials Haven’t Offered Photographs of the Sites Attacked

A satellite photo obtained by The Associated Press of one of the pumping stations showed two black marks near where the pipeline passes that weren’t there the day before.

In the months after the March 2015 start of the war in Yemen, Houthi rebels began using drones in combat. The first appeared to be off-the-shelf, hobby-kit-style drones. Later, versions nearly identical to Iranian models turned up. Iran denies supplying the Houthis with weapons, although the U.N., the West and Gulf Arab nations say Tehran does.

The rebels have flown drones into the radar arrays of Saudi Arabia’s Patriot missile batteries, according to Conflict Armament Research, disabling them and allowing the Houthis to fire ballistic missiles into the kingdom unchallenged.

Some have been used for surveillance purposes, while others have been loaded with explosives and ball bearings to deadly effect. In January, a bomb-laden Houthi drone detonated at a military parade near Aden, killing at least six people, including the commander of military intelligence for Yemen’s internationally recognized government.

Saudi officials haven’t offered any photographs of the sites attacked, nor given any explanation of what kind of drone the Houthis used Tuesday. However, the UAV-X is a likely culprit.

The drone, with a wingspan of 14.7 feet, has a V-shaped tail fin. It’s powered by a rear-mounted engine and has been found with what appears to be extra fuel tanks welded it to, a U.N. panel of experts found. It carries 40-pound warhead.

The drone is likely programmed to strike a specific latitude and longitude and cannot be controlled once out of radio range, Michetti said. In the case of Tuesday’s attack, the latitude and longitude of the pumping stations could be easily found online.

The U.N. put the drone’s maximum range at 1,500 kilometers.

 

Skyscraper-Studded City of Dubai Also Within Reach

“It would give credence to the claims by the Houthis that they have the capability to hit targets such as Riyadh, Abu Dhabi and Dubai,” the U.N. panel said.

For Saudi Arabia, that range puts the oil fields of its Eastern Province in range. Saudi Aramco declined to comment when reached by the AP.

“It would give credence to the claims by the Houthis that they have the capability to hit targets such as Riyadh, Abu Dhabi and Dubai.”U.N. panel

In the neighboring UAE, an immediate target is the under-construction Barakah nuclear power plant, which is deep in its western desert. The $20 billion, four-reactor plant being built with help from South Korea, has been considered a target by the Houthis since December 2017, when they claimed without offering evidence to have fired a cruise missile at it, something immediately denied by the UAE.

Asked about the possible drone threat, the UAE’s Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation said it had “in place regulations to ensure the protection of the nuclear power plant from all kinds of threats, including physical or cyberattacks,” without elaborating.

Also within reach is the skyscraper-studded city of Dubai, a crucial link in worldwide global travel. Dubai International Airport bills itself as the world’s busiest for international travel.

Officials at the airport declined to comment, referring the AP to the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority. The authority did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Houthis have claimed without evidence to have targeted both airports in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, something denied by authorities.

Speaking to journalists Wednesday night, a top Emirati diplomat sought to play down the danger faced by the federation of seven sheikhdoms, while still acknowledging the threats to regional stability.

“We live in a region where we can’t come and be happy because we are the only house in the neighborhood that has not been arsoned or burgled,” said Anwar Gargash, the UAE’s minister of state for foreign affairs.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Three Dead in Minneapolis Shooting, Including Shooter, Justice Department Official Says

DON'T MISS

TikTok Owner ByteDance Sets Valuation at Over $330 Billion as Revenue Grows, Sources Say

DON'T MISS

Fresno County Fatal Collision Under Investigation Near Kerman

DON'T MISS

Israel’s Gaza Campaign Is Making It a Pariah State

DON'T MISS

Trump Administration Plans to Take Control of Washington Union Station

DON'T MISS

Israeli Tanks Close in on Gaza City, Trump to Chair Meeting

DON'T MISS

Trump Says Soros and His Son Should Be Charged With RICO

DON'T MISS

Wall Street Opens Muted in Countdown to Nvidia Earnings

DON'T MISS

Zohran Mamdani, Rapper Turned NYC Mayoral Frontrunner, Embraces Diverse Roots

DON'T MISS

California Searchers Pull Off High-Altitude Rescue of Missing Hiker

UP NEXT

Israeli Tanks Close in on Gaza City, Trump to Chair Meeting

UP NEXT

Hamas Challenges Israeli Account of Gaza Hospital Casualties

UP NEXT

Poll: Californians Overwhelmingly Reject Trump’s Immigration Policies

UP NEXT

Leaked Audio Reveals Ex-Israeli Intelligence Chief Calling Gaza Deaths ‘Necessary’

UP NEXT

Poll: Katie Porter Holds Early Edge in California Governor’s Race

UP NEXT

Coarsegold Elementary Briefly Locked Down After Student Brings Starter Pistol

UP NEXT

Families Leave Gaza City After Night of Bombardment, Israelis Protest

UP NEXT

California Farming Couple Seeks $300 Million for Aspen Estate

UP NEXT

UN Inquiry on Israeli Violence Hampered by Funding Shortfall, Document Shows

UP NEXT

Trump Media, Crypto.com Announce Deal to Form Crypto Treasury Firm

Israel’s Gaza Campaign Is Making It a Pariah State

35 minutes ago

Trump Administration Plans to Take Control of Washington Union Station

54 minutes ago

Israeli Tanks Close in on Gaza City, Trump to Chair Meeting

1 hour ago

Trump Says Soros and His Son Should Be Charged With RICO

1 hour ago

Wall Street Opens Muted in Countdown to Nvidia Earnings

1 hour ago

Zohran Mamdani, Rapper Turned NYC Mayoral Frontrunner, Embraces Diverse Roots

1 hour ago

California Searchers Pull Off High-Altitude Rescue of Missing Hiker

15 hours ago

Judge Grants Fresno Temporary Win in Federal Grant DEI Dispute

16 hours ago

Trump Administration Asks US Supreme Court to Halt Foreign Aid Payments

16 hours ago

Hamas Challenges Israeli Account of Gaza Hospital Casualties

16 hours ago

Three Dead in Minneapolis Shooting, Including Shooter, Justice Department Official Says

A shooting at a Minneapolis school on Wednesday left three people including the shooter dead and about 20 injured, a Justice Department offi...

2 minutes ago

Photo of caution tape
2 minutes ago

Three Dead in Minneapolis Shooting, Including Shooter, Justice Department Official Says

The ByteDance logo is seen at the company's office building in Shanghai, China July 4, 2023. (Reuters File)
12 minutes ago

TikTok Owner ByteDance Sets Valuation at Over $330 Billion as Revenue Grows, Sources Say

27 minutes ago

Fresno County Fatal Collision Under Investigation Near Kerman

Palestinian Child Carrying Water Amid Gaza City Rubble
35 minutes ago

Israel’s Gaza Campaign Is Making It a Pariah State

U.S. National Guard members patrol inside Union Station, after U.S. President Donald Trump deployed National Guard and ordered an increased presence of federal law enforcement to assist in crime prevention, in Washington, DC, U.S., August 21, 2025. (Reuters File)
54 minutes ago

Trump Administration Plans to Take Control of Washington Union Station

An Israeli tank manouvres at the Israel-Gaza border, as seen from Israel, August 26, 2025. (Reuters File)
1 hour ago

Israeli Tanks Close in on Gaza City, Trump to Chair Meeting

Billionaire investor George Soros speaks to the audience at the Schumpeter Award in Vienna, Austria June 21, 2019. (Reuters File)
1 hour ago

Trump Says Soros and His Son Should Be Charged With RICO

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., July 1, 2025. (Reuters/Jeenah Moon)
1 hour ago

Wall Street Opens Muted in Countdown to Nvidia Earnings

Search

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Send this to a friend