Abu Dhabi arms fair opens amid Yemen war criticism
By Associated Press
Feb 17, 2019 3:15 AM CST
An explosion strikes during a military demonstration targeting a theatrical "ballistic missile launchpad" at the International Defense Exhibition and Conference in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Feb. 17, 2019. The biennial arms show in Abu Dhabi comes as the United Arab Emirates faces increasing...   (Associated Press)

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A biennial arms fair has opened in the United Arab Emirates as the country faces increasing scrutiny over its involvement in the Saudi-led war in Yemen.

While the war went unmentioned at the opening ceremony of the International Defense Exhibition and Conference in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, it was clearly present in the theatrical show offered to spectators.

In it, a militia threatens an unknown country with both launchpad-based and mobile ballistic missiles. Saudi Arabia has faced over 100 such launches by Yemen's Houthi rebels into the kingdom.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE are the leading members of a coalition that has been at war with the Iran-aligned Houthis since March 2015. The conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people and caused the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

See 4 more photos