The United Arab Emirates came under Iranian attack this evening as Iran fired four cruise missiles and drones at Dubai, including strikes on petrochemical facilities. U.A.E. air defenses were activated and intercepted three of the missiles successfully, according to Channel 14’s Foreign Desk Chief, Ben Yaniv.
Yaniv reported that there is also a fire burning in the engine room of a tanker anchored off the coast of Dubai.In a separate incident, Iranian drones wounded three Indian nationals in the Emirati Fujairah oil facility, which is located near the Strait of Hormuz in the U.A.E. Fujairah is a key hub for global oil storage. Every day, 1 million barrels of oil transit Fujairah, a Hormuz bypass.
Commercial airlines are currently avoiding Emirati airspace for security reasons.
Yaniv reported that it is
still unclear whether Israel played a role in the interceptions today, but emphasized ramped-up UAE-Israel defense cooperation.
In Israel, just minutes before Iran launched missiles and drones at the UAE, the IDF spokesman said defense guidelines remain unchanged. The question now: will the escalation force an update? In his statement, the IDF spokesman wrote: “The Home Front Command’s defense policy remains unchanged and will be in effect until Thursday.”