On 26 July, Yemen-based Houthi militants claimed to have hit Abu Dhabi airport with a new long-range weaponised unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), labelled the Sammad 2 which, according to the Houthi, has a range of more than 1400 km.
Although the UAE authorities denied reports that the airport was attacked, they acknowledged that an unspecified incident took place there, reportedly involving a supply vehicle.
The difficulty of a UAV penetrating Saudi airspace to reach Abu Dhabi undetected from Houthi controlled territory in northern Yemen, and the security and air defences at Abu Dhabi Airport, cause us to doubt the Houthi claim given the lack of evidence provided by the movement.
Want to read more? For analysis on this article and access to all our insight content, please enquire about our subscription options at ihs.com/contact
An apparent crackdown by social media platforms prompted concern in the OSINT community in June 2019. Veli-Pekka Kivimäki examines the changes that took place and assesses the outlook for the work of OSINT practitioners
