Serdar Dincel
20 March 2026•Update: 20 March 2026
ISTANBUL
The United Arab Emirates said its air defense forces on Friday intercepted four ballistic missiles and 26 drones launched from Iran.
This brings the total number of ballistic missiles intercepted since the start of the attacks to 338 and the drones to 1,740, the UAE Defense Ministry wrote on the US social media company X.
The UAE forces also intercepted 15 cruise missiles, the ministry stated, adding that the attacks also killed two on-duty armed personnel.
Six civilians, including citizens of Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Palestine, were also killed, and 158 others -- including citizens of the UAE, Egypt, and Türkiye -- were injured, it noted.
The ministry expressed the UAE's readiness "to respond to any threats, decisively confronting anything that seeks to undermine the nation’s security, while ensuring the protection of its sovereignty, stability, and national interests."
Hostilities in the region have escalated since Israel and the US launched joint attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, killing over 1,300 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries hosting US military assets, causing casualties and damage to infrastructure while also disrupting global markets and aviation.
