Houthi rebels threaten to target UAE with missiles

The head of Yemen's Shia Houthi rebels threatened to fire missiles at the United Arab Emirates on Thursday and to attack Saudi tankers in the Red Sea.

The Saudi-led coalition, of which the UAE is a member, has waged a blistering air campaign since March 2015 seeking to dislodge the Houthis, who seized the capital Sanaa and other areas in 2014.

Over 13,000 people have been killed in the conflict and Yemen has been brought to the brink of famine.

Abdel Malek al-Houthi, the head of the rebel group, told Houthi-controlled television station Al-Masirah on Thursday that the UAE "is now within range of our missiles".

"The companies which have been set up or which have investments in the UAE should no longer consider it a safe country," he added.

Houthi said his fighters had advanced their missile technology to reach targets north of the Saudi capital Riyadh and south of Islam's holiest city Mecca in the west of the kingdom.

Rebel naval forces are also capable of striking Saudi oil installations and tankers in the Red Sea, he added, warning against any attempt to capture the rebel-held port of Hodeidah.

The strategic seaport is a coveted goal for the internationally-recognised government of President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi with Saudi forces long planning to recapture it from Houthi rebels.