The attack, reported by the Israeli website on Sunday, was aimed at a seawater desalination plant in Iran and is treated as the UAE's response to previous attacks by the Iranian army. “Israeli officials believe that the attack was intended primarily as a signal to the Iranian regime. However, if Iranian attacks intensify, the UAE may join the military campaign, even if only to a limited extent,” Ynet reports.
The reports were denied by a senior UAE official in an interview with The Jerusalem Post, and the chairman of the Defense, Home Affairs and Foreign Policy Committee of the UAE Federal National Council, Ali Al-Nuaimi, wrote on X that the information was “fake news” and added: “When we do something, we have the courage to announce it.”
What were the reasons for the UAE attack on Iran?
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What evidence does Israel provide of the attack?
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Iran attacks the Persian Gulf countries
The information from the Israeli website Ynet was also denied by the adviser to the president of the UAE, Anwar Gargash. He wrote on X that “all defense measures taken by the state will be open and transparent and will not be based on press leaks or anonymous sources.”
The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs also issued its statement on Sunday. It reaffirmed that the Gulf state “acts in self-defense against brutal and unjustified Iranian aggression” and “reaffirms its full right to take all necessary measures to protect its sovereignty, national security and territorial integrity.”
A day earlier, the United Arab Emirates said Iran had launched a new attack, launching 16 ballistic missiles and 117 drones. According to Ynet, Iran has fired 941 drones, 189 ballistic missiles and eight cruise missiles at the UAE since the beginning of the conflict.
