Just as President Biden is dealing with the brink of war on the Russia-Ukraine border, he is faced with a fifth North Korean missile test in one month, an attack on a U.S. air base in the United Arab Emirates, and a show of aggression from China.
Rebels in Yemen launched the attack Monday on an air base where about 2,000 U.S. personnel are stationed, prompting the U.S. to utilize its Patriot missile defense system to defend the base.
Combined with UAE efforts at interception, the military was able to prevent two inbound missiles from hitting the base.
North Korea launched two suspected cruise missiles tests on Tuesday.
Cruise missiles tests are not banned under the United Nations Security Council resolutions that restrict Pyongyang's weapons activity.
Cruise missiles are typically jet engined-propelled and travel shorter distances than ballistic missiles that can travel between continents.
Before the Tuesday launch, Kim Jong-Un had launched had conducted four recent ballistic-missile tests.
At a meeting last week, which Kim attended, North Korea suggested it might restart tests for long-range and nuclear weapons, describing the threat from the U.S. as one the nation could no longer ignore.
Meanwhile, the U.S., together with the UAE military, was able to prevent two inbound missiles from hitting the air base.
The Iranian back-rebels said that the missiles were aimed at the Al-Dhafra Air Base in Abu Dhabi, where the U.S. Air Force's 38th Air Expeditionary Wing is based, and 2,000 military and civilian personnel are stationed.
The attack signaled a marked escalation in tensions. It was the second in a week aimed at the UAE, which is part of a Saudi-led coalition backing the Yemeni government that has been at war with the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels for years.
The U.S. too has backed the Saudi-led coalition since the start of the conflict.
Yemenis watch the Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea on a TV screen delivering a statement about alleged Houthi attacks on Saudi and UAE cities
Members of Al Dhafra Air Base converse after the arrival of F-35A Lightning IIs assigned to the 4th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron
US military officials deployed the Patriot missile defense system, pictured above, to stave off the attacks
Last week, the Houthis hit a fuel depot in Abu Dhabi, killing three people.
The Houthis have said they are retaliating agains the gulf state for backing militias thwarting their efforts to capture oil-producing regions in Yemen.
The Houthis have long launched attacks on Saudi Arabia, but the UAE has until recently served as a safe haven in the region.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price said the attack was a 'troubling escalation' of violence, and the department issued a rare security advisory warning Americans in the UAE to 'maintain a high level of security awareness.'
The Chinese launched a show of force by flying dozens of warplanes near Taiwan on Sunday, just as the U.S. sailed two aircraft carriers and a pair of amphibious assault ships alongside allies in the South China Sea.
The demonstration alarmed Taiwan, which sent radio warnings and sent air combat patrol to deter the Chinese aircraft, and deployed air missile defense systems to monitor them.
Image aired by North Korea state television shows the test firing of railway-borne missile
The U.S. sailed two aircraft carriers and a pair of amphibious assault ships alongside allies in the South China Sea
Seven U.S. sailors were injured Monday during a 'landing mishap' by a F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Jet aboard the USS Carl
