UAE says its forces responding to missile, drone attacks from Iran

ISTANBUL

The United Arab Emirates said Thursday that its air defense systems are responding to incoming missile and drone threats from Iran.

“MOD asserts that the sounds heard are the result of the Air Defense Systems intercepting missiles and drones,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement on the US social media company X’s platform.

The developments came as a regional escalation has flared up since Israel and the US launched a joint attack on Iran on Feb. 28 that has so far killed more than 1,200 people, including Iran's then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and injured over 10,000 others, according to Iranian authorities.

Iran retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries that are home to US military assets.