UAE air defences engage Iranian missiles and drones

The United Arab Emirates announced Sunday its air defences were actively responding to Iranian missile and drone attacks, as Gulf states continue to absorb Tehran's retaliatory strikes against the US-Israeli offensive.

"UAE air defences are currently responding to missile and drone threats coming from Iran," the Ministry of Defence stated on X, reassuring the population that "sounds being heard are the result of interceptions" — not impacts.

The UAE's announcement marks yet another chapter in Iran's systematic campaign against Gulf states since the war began on February 28. Tehran has launched waves of missiles and drones at Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Oman — and now, once again, at the UAE.

For Gulf residents, the sound of interceptions has become a terrifying feature of daily life,  a reminder that the war raging across the region has no respect for borders, neutrality or civilian infrastructure.

The UAE had previously dismantled a Hezbollah-linked terror network on its soil and warned Iran against targeting its territory in connection with the disputed Abu Musa and Greater Tunb islands. Sunday's attack suggests Tehran has chosen confrontation over restraint.