UAE intercepts Iranian missiles and drones amid regional war
Shafaq News- Abu Dhabi
The United Arab Emirates on Saturday said its air defenses intercepted three ballistic missiles and eight drones launched from Iran, as fighting linked to the US–Israeli war escalates.
In a statement, the Ministry of Defense said that since the onset of what it described as “Iranian aggression,” its systems have downed 341 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles, and 1,748 drones, adding that the attacks resulted in the deaths of two UAE armed forces personnel on duty, along with six foreign nationals from Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Palestine.
الدفاعات الجوية الإماراتية تتعامل مع الصواريخ الباليستية والجوالة والمسيرات الإيرانية.UAE Air Defences engaged IranianBallistic and Cruise Missiles and UAVs Attacks#وزارة_الدفاع #وزارة_الدفاع_الإماراتية#MOD#UAEMinistryOfDefence pic.twitter.com/1JnsKhK5j0
— وزارة الدفاع |MOD UAE (@modgovae) March 21, 2026
A total of 160 people, it noted, sustained injuries ranging from minor to critical, including nationals from multiple countries such as the UAE, Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Pakistan, Iran, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Azerbaijan, Yemen, Uganda, Eritrea, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Comoros, Turkiye, Iraq, Nepal, Nigeria, Oman, Jordan, Palestine, Ghana, Indonesia, Sweden, and Tunisia.
The escalation began on February 28, when the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iranian targets, causing extensive destruction and civilian casualties, and killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei along with several senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commanders. Iran subsequently carried out retaliatory operations affecting Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.
