Three fuel trucks exploded and a fire broke out near Abu Dhabi airport on Monday in what Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group said was an attack deep inside the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Quoting police, a UAE state-run news agency reported that three people were killed in the tanker truck explosions - two Indian nationals and one Pakistani national.

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UAE police earlier said that drones may have caused an explosion on three oil tankers and a minor fire at an airport extension in Abu Dhabi.

Yemen's Houthi rebels later claimed responsibility for the attack.

Abu Dhabi police said three fuel tankers had exploded in the industrial Musaffah area near storage facilities of oil firm ADNO.

They said a fire had also broken out at a construction site at Abu Dhabi International Airport - but added it was "minor" and took place at an extension of the main airport which is still under construction.

Initial investigations indicated the detection of small flying objects, possibly belonging to drones, that fell in two areas and possibly caused the explosion and fire, officers said, adding there was no significant damage from the incidents.

UAE part of Saudi-led coalition

Houthi military spokesman Yahia Sarei said the group launched an attack deep in the UAE, saying in a tweet that there will be an announcement about details of the attack against the UAE "in the coming hours".

The UAE has been at war in Yemen since early 2015 and was significant in the Saudi-led coalition that launched attacks against the Houthi rebels after the group overran the capital of Yemen and ousted the internationally-backed government.

The Houthis have claimed attacks on Abu Dhabi's airport in the past, along with the emirates' Barakah nuclear power plant - which Emirati officials have previously denied.

Booby-trapped boats

They have also used bomb-laden drones for crude and imprecise attacks aimed at Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and have launched missiles at Saudi airports, oil facilities and pipelines, as well as used booby-trapped boats for attacks in key shipping routes.

Abu Dhabi is the UAE's seat of government and steers the country's foreign policy.

Monday's attacks come as South Korea's President Moon Jae-in visits the UAE.

The two countries are said to have reached a preliminary deal valued at around $3.5bn (£2.5bn) over the selling of mid-range South Korean surface-to-air missiles to the UAE.

The deal was reportedly made during the president's meeting with Emirati prime minister and Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum on Sunday.