What happened

As part of the same 17 January 2022 attack wave that struck fuel tankers near an ADNOC storage site in Musaffah (recorded separately on this site), Houthi forces also set fire to an under-construction extension of Abu Dhabi International Airport, with no casualties reported at the airport itself. The Houthi military spokesperson said the group fired a large number of drones and five ballistic missiles in what it called 'Operation Hurricane of Yemen,' framed as retaliation for territorial losses to UAE-backed Giants Brigades forces in Yemen's Shabwah Governorate days earlier. The UAE confirmed missiles and drones were used and said several were intercepted. The UN Security Council condemned the attack on 21 January, and the US, Saudi Arabia, Israel, India, Pakistan, Russia and EU members issued denunciations. This record introduces the airport-specific dimension of this attack to the site's airbase/airport-strike coverage, separate from the fuel-tanker casualties recorded under the ADNOC Musaffah entry, added following the extension of the backfill window back to 2020.

When cited sources give different casualty, damage or spill figures for this event, they’re reported side by side above rather than merged into one number. See how confidence levels work.