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Drones Jolt a Persian Gulf Focused on Iran’s Nuclear Ambitions

Armed groups are increasingly able to target key facilities
UAE presented itself as oasis of stability in troubled region

The Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. fuel depot following a drone strike in Abu Dhabi, on Jan. 17 — The Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. fuel depot following a drone strike in Abu Dhabi, on Jan. 17
Source: Planet Labs PBC/AP Photo

By

Ben Bartenstein,

Zainab Fattah, and

Golnar Motevalli

January 19, 2022, 5:26 PM UTCUpdated onJanuary 20, 2022, 8:55 AM UTC

The drones that struck near Abu Dhabi’s airport and an oil depot this week served as a jolting reminder of an uncomfortable military reality: the ability of armed groups to target critical infrastructure using cheap, hard-to-repel weapons.

Monday’s attack by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi fighters set fuel trucks ablaze, briefly disrupted air transit and killed three people. But its impact went further.