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The Ministry of Defense of the United Arab Emirates announced on March 1 that three foreigners were killed and 58 lightly wounded in Iranian strikes on the country’s territory.
The Islamic Republic began launching missile and drone attacks at the UAE and other countries in the Middle East, including Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman, in response to the attack launched by the United States and Israel a day earlier.
In a statement, the Emirati Ministry of Defense said that 167 missiles and 541 drones were launched toward the country, of which 506 were intercepted and destroyed, while 35 crashed within its territory and caused property damage.
Some high-value targets were reportedly hit. Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency reported that the headquarters of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Dubai was among the targets hit. Neither the UAE, nor the U.S. commented on these claims. The two countries are known, however, to be close security partners.
Another report by Reuters said that debris from an intercepted drone damaged the Etihad Towers complex in Abu Dhabi which houses the Israeli embassy and several other international missions. A woman and her child sustained minor injures as a result of the incident, according to Emirate authorities.
Separately, videos posted online confirmed that the French naval base in Abu Dhabi, Camp de la Paix, was hit. The footage shows smoke rising from the base.
Among the targets hit in the UAE was Dubai International Airport, where four people were reportedly wounded. Meanwhile in the Emirate capital, Abu Dhabi, one person was killed and seven people were injured after after an attack on Zayed International Airport.
A fire also broke out at the five-star Fairmont hotel on the man-made Palm Jumeirah Island in Dubai and the landmark Burj Al Arab hotel suffered damage.
Another person was killed when debris from an interception fell on a residential area in Abu Dhabi, Emirate authorities said, without elaborating.
On the man-made inner-city island of the Palm in Dubai, the luxury Fairmont hotel caught fire as a result of an impact. The government of Dubai confirmed that four people were injured as a result of “an incident”. The authorities did not confirm whether the source was a direct missile attack or the result of an interception.
A fire also broke out at the port of the Jebel Ali in Dubai, the Middle East’s biggest port and the U.S. Navy’s busiest port of call in the region. The blaze was caused by debris from an interceptor, according to authorities.
The UAE Public Prosecution service warned against “publishing or circulating rumors and information from unknown sources”, adding that: “Any person who shares or reposts content from unknown sources shall be subject to legal accountability in accordance with the applicable legislation, even if they are not the original creator.”
UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem al-Hashimy on March 1 warned Iran that the country will not sit idly if the attacks go on.
“We are prepared (to defend ourselves). We hope it doesn’t come to that, but … we will not sit idly by while we continue to be the subject of such a barrage of attacks,” al-Hashimy told CNN’s Becky Anderson.
Asked if the Emirates could move into a more combative role, the senior official said “if it has to come to that, it will come to that.”
“The ball is in Iran’s court now for how they want to deal with a region and a neighbor that has traditionally been a very fair and good neighbor to them,” she added.
As for now, the UAE and other Arab countries targeted by Iran do not seem to be enthusiastic about joining the war led by the U.S. and Israel. This could quickly change, however, if the largest of these countries, Saudi Arabia, continues to respond to the Islamic Republic.
No country will likely act on its own. The most likely scenario will see these countries coming together in a coalition and launch their operation against Iran, separate from the American-Israeli attack, at least on the surface.
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the iranians will install a new ayatollah.the new ayatollah should call putin on the phone and demand that putin kill all the traitorous alawites who betrayed syria in december 2024 and put iran in such danger. he should say that iran gave russia the drones with which they turned the tide of the war in ukraine and that putin must therefore kill all the alawites (maher al assad, bashar al assad, all hassans etc in russia as a thank
the iranians will install a new ayatollah.the new ayatollah should call putin on the phone and demand that putin kill all the traitorous alawites who betrayed syria in december 2024 and put iran in such danger. he should say that iran gave russia the drones with which they turned the tide of the war in ukraine and that putin must therefore kill all the alawites (maher al assad, bashar al assad, all hassans etc in russia as a pay back