The United Arab Emirates said Monday afternoon that its air defense systems intercepted three missiles launched from Iran, while another missile crashed into the sea. The UAE also said a fire broke out at an oil facility in Fujairah after a drone strike, wounding three Indian nationals.
Iranian military chief of staff Amir Hatami confirmed that his country had opened fire to “protect the security of the region” because of U.S. destroyer activity in the Strait of Hormuz. After the Iranian official’s statement, alerts warning of incoming fire were again activated in the UAE.
In an official statement, the Emirati Defense Ministry said: “Four cruise missiles were detected approaching the country from Iran. Three were successfully intercepted over the country’s territorial waters, while the fourth fell into the sea.”
The UAE statement added: “The Defense Ministry confirmed that the sounds heard in various parts of the country were the result of the successful interception of aerial threats. The ministry calls on the public to obtain information from official sources and verify facts, and to follow all public safety procedures when receiving warning messages.”
Hatami confirmed the missile fire. “Every inch of these waters is under our control. The American destroyers thought they were approaching the Strait of Hormuz by cutting off radar, but our response was to fire. Cruise missiles and drones were launched. The security of this region is Iran’s red line.”
Earlier Monday, the UAE accused Iran of firing at a tanker owned by an Emirati company that was trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. The Emirati statement did not say when the alleged shooting took place.
At the same time, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency reported a maritime incident 36 nautical miles north of Dubai. According to the British agency, a cargo ship reported a fire in its engine room, and the cause of the fire is not yet known. Authorities opened an investigation and no casualties were reported. Before the UKMTO announcement, South Korea reported that its intelligence services were checking whether a South Korean vessel had been hit by rocket fire in the Gulf. There is still no official confirmation that it was the same incident.
The fire toward the UAE came against the backdrop of rising tensions in the Persian Gulf, where Iran claimed it had fired on a U.S. destroyer. The U.S. military, for its part, said no vessel was hit and that two merchant ships escorted by Central Command had successfully crossed the Strait of Hormuz. Iran claimed, however, that its blockade of the strait had not been breached and that no ship had crossed it.
Meanwhile, the IDF spokesman announced an extension of the current Home Front Command guidelines until Thursday at 8 p.m. Under the guidelines, routine activity continues across the country, except along the confrontation line in the north and in the communities of Or HaGanuz, Safsufa, Meron and Bar Yohai, where gatherings are limited to 200 people outdoors and 600 people indoors, provided people can reach a protected space within the required warning time.