ISTANBUL

The United Arab Emirates has strongly condemned an attempted Iranian ballistic missile launch targeting Türkiye, calling the incident a serious escalation and a violation of state sovereignty.

In a statement issued Thursday, the UAE Foreign Ministry said that it considers such hostile acts a “serious escalation, a flagrant violation of state sovereignty, and a direct threat to regional security and stability,” the statement said.

It affirmed that “expansion of attacks to additional countries is unacceptable and condemned under all legal and political norms, and constitutes a serious escalation that undermines de-escalation efforts and heightens regional tensions.”

On Wednesday, the Turkish National Defense Ministry said a ballistic munition fired from Iran and directed toward Turkish airspace was intercepted and neutralized by NATO air and missile defense units in the Eastern Mediterranean.