Rania Abushamala
08 May 2026•Update: 08 May 2026
The United Arab Emirates said Friday that the country’s air defense systems had intercepted two ballistic missiles and three drones launched from Iran, with the incursions resulting in three moderate injuries.
In a statement, the Defense Ministry said the interceptions took place amid what it described as “blatant Iranian attacks on the United Arab Emirates.”
The ministry said UAE air defenses have intercepted a total of 551 ballistic missiles, 29 cruise missiles, and 2,263 drones since the start of US-Israeli attacks on Iran on Feb. 28.
According to the statement, the total number of injuries has reached 230, involving multiple nationalities.
The ministry said the attacks had killed 13 people since the end of February, including a Moroccan contractor working with the armed forces and 10 civilians of multiple nationalities.
The ministry affirmed that it remains “fully prepared and ready to deal with any threats.”
For the third time this week, the UAE announced that its air defense systems had intercepted missile and drone attacks it said were launched from Iran.
However, the Iranian army said Tuesday that it had not carried out any attacks on the UAE in recent days, while no immediate comment was issued regarding Friday’s attacks.
Regional tensions have sharply escalated since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran, triggering Iranian retaliation against Israel and American allies in the Gulf, along with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
A ceasefire took effect on April 8 through Pakistani mediation, though negotiations in Islamabad failed to produce a permanent agreement. Trump later announced an extension of the truce without setting a deadline.
The US has maintained a naval blockade targeting Iranian maritime traffic in the strait since April 13.
