UAE Says It Intercepted Iranian Drone Over Its Territorial Waters
The UAE's air force intercepted an Iranian drone over its territorial waters on Monday, the Defense Ministry said, amid heightened tensions following US-Iran clashes.
The United Arab Emirates' Defense Ministry announced on Monday that its air force intercepted an Iranian drone detected over its territorial waters. The drone was reported to have been approaching from Iran. The ministry said in a brief statement that it "dealt with" the drone, though no further details were provided. There was no immediate response from Tehran, and no damage was reported.
The incident follows a weekend of direct exchanges between the United States and Iran, marking the first such action in about a month. On Sunday, U.S. forces struck Iranian rocket launchers on an island in the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. Central Command said the strike was launched after observing forces from Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps preparing to launch rockets carrying sea mines into the strait. The U.S. military had earlier said it completed clearing sea mines from the waterway's international shipping routes.
Iran responded by firing ballistic missiles at U.S. sites in Jordan. Jordan's military said it intercepted eight missiles that entered its airspace. Iranian state television aired footage of the missile launches. Meanwhile, semiofficial outlets in Iran reported explosions near Larak island, and the Revolutionary Guard acknowledged casualties from the U.S. strike.
U.S. officials described their action as a "limited, precise" response against what they called minelaying forces, disputing Iran's characterization of the strike as an act of aggression. The latest escalation comes after a period of relative quiet, with the last confirmed U.S. strike on Iranian targets occurring on July 29 against Revolutionary Guard coastal sites. On August 1, U.S. President Donald Trump said he would hold off on further strikes at the urging of Gulf allies, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.
The renewed hostilities underscore the fragility of the situation in the region, where Iran has previously targeted U.S. bases and infrastructure in Gulf states since the conflict began on February 28.