While Abu Dhabi police did not immediately offer any suspects, Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for an attack targeting the United Arab Emirates.
The designation has broad implications — not just for the Iran-backed group, which controls Yemen's capital, but also for international organizations trying to help residents badly in need of aid.
The move would be the first step towards implementation of a ceasefire agreed to by the Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces in December. The ports serve as a lifeline for humanitarian aid.
In 2015, Saudi Arabia initiated a bombing campaign against Yemen that continues today. Journalist Robert Worth says the results have been devastating — and that the U.S. shares some of the blame.
So far, the fighting has stayed in Hodeidah's outskirts. But the relative calm isn't likely to last — and aid groups are desperately calling for its port to stay open for a country already in crisis.
The U.N. pulled foreign staff from Hodeidah amid efforts to avert an attack by pro-government forces backed by the United Arab Emirates. A shutdown of the port could put hundreds of thousands at risk.
Yemen's Houthi rebels, who are fighting a Saudi-led coalition, said Tuesday they aimed at a royal palace in the Saudi kingdom. Videos appear to show the missile exploding in midair over Riyadh.
Aid workers are still reporting difficulty providing food and medical assistance to almost 20 million people after the Saudis agreed to lift a blockade of land, air and sea routes into Yemen Monday.