America warns its citizens not to travel to the Emirates

 The US State Department issued an update warning US citizens not to travel to the United Arab Emirates, citing threats of attacks using missiles or drones.

The State Department kept the warning level about travel to the UAE at the highest level in the updated guidelines, which also urges Americans not to travel to the UAE given the risks of infection with the Corona virus.

 The United Arab Emirates had confirmed that the Houthi threats "will not become the new reality", at a time when the wealthy Gulf state seeks to strengthen its defense capabilities.  Abu Dhabi announced on Monday that its defenses had intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles fired by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels.  No injuries were reported.

 The attack took place about a week after three people were killed in a drone and missile attack on Abu Dhabi, the first bloody attack on the territory of the UAE, for which the Houthis claimed responsibility and were announced by the Emiratis.

Rebels frequently target Saudi Arabia, which borders Yemen, killing and wounding civilians and damaging infrastructure, including oil facilities and Saudi airports.

 The UAE had a key role in the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen to defend the Yemeni government against the Houthis.  In 2019, it withdrew its forces from this poor country that has been mired in armed conflict since 2014, but it remains an influential player.

 The Houthi attacks on Abu Dhabi came in response to a series of defeats suffered by the rebels at the hands of forces trained by the UAE, which puts Houthi weapons that rely on ballistic missiles and drones, in the face of the UAE’s defense capabilities worth billions of dollars.

 The rebels have warned of further attacks on the UAE, an important US ally that hosts US forces and is one of the world's biggest arms customers.