The UAE’s air defenses successfully intercepted today 9 ballistic missiles, 6 cruise missiles, and 148 drones.
“Since the beginning of the Iranian attack, 174 ballistic missiles launched toward the country have been detected, of which 161 were destroyed while 13 fell into the sea,” the UAE Ministry of Defence said in a statement.
“A total of 689 Iranian drones were also detected, with 645 intercepted and 44 landing within the country’s territory,” it added. “Additionally, 8 cruise missiles were detected and destroyed, causing some collateral damage.”
The Ministry of Defense confirmed that the sounds heard in various areas across the country were result of interceptions carried out by air defense systems against ballistic missiles, and by fighter jets against drones and cruise missiles.
The Ministry strongly condemned this military targeting, describing it as blatant aggression and a flagrant violation of national sovereignty and international law.
It said, “The state reserves its full right to respond to this escalation and to take all necessary measures to protect its territory, its people, and its residents, in a manner that safeguards its sovereignty, security, stability, and national interests”.
It added that the safety of citizens, residents, and visitors remains a top priority that cannot be compromised.
The Ministry urged the public to obtain information only from official sources within the country and to refrain from spreading rumors or unverified information.
Speaking to Euronews, Gideon Sa’ar said the operation would continue without a fixed end date.
“So there is no time like the operation there. There is no timeline that you’re looking at. There is no timeline of this operation. Now, we hadn’t gave to ourselves timeline,” Sa’ar said.
“Naturally, we want it to be as short as possible. This is clear. But we didn’t put to ourselves any timeline,” he added.