UAE says 26 drones intercepted, 8 ballistic missiles destroyed in latest Iranian attacks

The United Arab Emirates said Tuesday that its air defense systems intercepted 26 drones and destroyed eight ballistic missiles detected in Iranian attacks on the country.

A statement said air defenses detected 35 drones, intercepting 26, while nine fell inside the country.

The ministry reported detecting nine ballistic missiles, eight of which were intercepted, while one fell into the sea.

The UAE said its air defenses responded to ballistic and cruise missiles as well as drones launched from Iran.

Since the start of the Iranian attacks on the country, authorities said they have detected 1,475 drones, destroying 1,385, while 90 fell inside the UAE.

The ministry also said eight cruise missiles had been detected, and all were destroyed.

Regarding ballistic missiles, 262 had been detected, with 241 intercepted, 19 falling into the sea, and two landing inside the country.

Regional escalation flared since Israel and the US launched a joint attack against Iran on Feb. 28, killing more than 1,200 victims, and injuring over 10,000.

Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries that are home to US military assets.