United Arab Emirates air defences shouted ‘target destroyed’ as they hunted down and shot Iranian drones.
The UAE foreign ministry released the dramatic footage showing Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) being lined up in an anti-missile system’s crosshairs.
A rattle of gunfire can then be heard as the drones are exploded, before the operator reports: ‘Target destroyed, sir.’
Writing on social media, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs said they were ‘ready to deter any threat’.
The Ministry posted on X: ‘Footage showing the UAE’s air defences intercepting and destroying Iranian UAVs that attempted to target the country.
‘There is no compromise when it comes to the nation’s security and sovereignty. The UAE Armed Forces stand ready to deter any threat.’
On Sunday the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the country was in a ‘state of defence’ following ‘brutal and unprovoked’ aggression by Iran, Khaleej Times reported.
Iran unleashed a series of furious retaliatory strikes across the Middle East following the killing of Ayatollah Khamenei, launching attacks on Iraq, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Israel in a series of assaults that have left the region in flames.
The UAE Foreign Ministry released dramatic footage of the country’s air defences hunting down and shooting Iranian drones. Pictured: An Iranian drone lined up in crosshairs
Pictured: The subsequent explosion after the Iranian drone is shot down by UAE forces
The Palm Jumeirah hotel in Dubai was engulfed in flames after being hit by an Iranian suicide drone on February 28
UAE claims that Iran has fired 238 ballistic missiles at their territory since the US-Israeli strikes began, with 221 destroyed and only two reaching their destination.
However, Iran has also used its ‘suicide drones’ to launch attacks on the Emirates.
A night drone attack on two of Dubai’s most upmarket areas left one man dead and two residential skyscrapers in flames on Saturday.
Smoke plumed from the 88-storey 23 Marina tower building near Dubai Marina after it was hit by the debris from an intercepted Iranian drone.
Later, it emerged that a Pakistani driver was killed after material fell on his vehicle following a drone attack on the 19-storey Azayez Tower in the upmarket Al Barsha area.
Dubai International Airport was also forced to close on Saturday after a suspected Iranian drone strike triggered a huge explosion near the complex, with passengers ordered off planes.
The UAE’s Foreign Ministry is keen to avoid being drawn into any sustained conflict or escalation, which leaders feel could further tarnish the country’s reputation as a magnet for tourism and investment.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian apologised to its Gulf neighbours on Saturday for targeting them with deadly drone and missile strikes and claimed the assaults would end unless they were used as bases to attack Iran.
However, Pezeshkian has faced major backlash within his own country, with many of Iran’s senior military figures unwilling to rule out additional attacks on other countries in the region.
