Iran fired over a dozen missiles and several drones at the United Arab Emirates on Monday, renewing attacks on the Gulf state for the first time since a fragile ceasefire took hold last month.
At the same time, the US military said it fired on Iranian forces in the Strait of Hormuz, and US President Donald Trump vowed that Iran would be “blown off the face of the earth” if it hit US ships in the area.
The Iranian attacks appeared to be in response to Trump’s latest efforts to reopen the strait — a critical waterway for global energy — after he launched a new plan to escort ships and restore traffic in the largely blocked waterway. The US military said two American-flagged merchant ships had successfully transited the strait on Monday as part of the new initiative.
The UAE Defense Ministry said its air defenses had engaged 15 missiles and four drones fired by Iran. Authorities in the eastern emirate of Fujairah said one drone sparked a fire at a key oil facility, wounding three Indian nationals. The British military reported two cargo vessels ablaze off the UAE.
Missile alerts were issued Monday urging residents to find shelter — the first such alerts since the ceasefire began nearly a month ago. Commercial planes bound for the UAE — home to the global travel hubs of Dubai and Abu Dhabi — turned around midair.
The country condemned what it called “renewed treacherous Iranian aggression” and called for an immediate halt to the attacks.
The extent of the attack on Fujairah was unclear, but it is the terminus of a pipeline the UAE has used to avoid shipping some of its oil through the strait. The emirate on the Gulf of Oman is home to extensive oil storage facilities and is the UAE’s main sea access outside the strait.
According to a source speaking to CNN, Israel’s Iron Dome missile system shot down one of the missiles fired at the Gulf state on Monday.
Israel deployed an Iron Dome battery along with troops who know how to operate the missile defense system to the United Arab Emirates to help Abu Dhabi fend off attacks from Iran during the war, an Israeli official and an Arab diplomat told The Times of Israel, confirming a report in the Axios news site.
The officials deny a separate report claiming that Israel also deployed its Iron Beam laser-based air defense system to Abu Dhabi, explaining that the technology is too sensitive for use abroad.
Amid Monday’s escalation in the Gulf, an Israeli military official said the IDF is “monitoring the situation and is on alert and at high readiness.”
“Our air defense systems and offensive capabilities are at a high level of readiness, which has not changed since the ceasefire [took effect],” the official said.
No comments:
Post a Comment