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UAE President says country ‘has thick skin’ as loud blasts in Dubai, Doha and Manama
Apart from the UAE, sirens were also active in Bahrain, where AFP reported loud explosions, numbering at least five, in the capital city of Manama.
The UAE Ministry of Defence on Saturday confirmed that the country's Air defence systems were dealing with missile and drone attacks from Iran, while the country's President said his nation was “in a time of war” amid an escalating situation in the region.
Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who is also ruler of Abu Dhabi, said the UAE was no easy prey, in his first public comments since Iran launched missiles at its Gulf neighbour amid US-Israeli strikes.
"The UAE has thick skin and bitter flesh - we are no easy prey,"he said in comments made on Friday, when visiting those injured in strikes, which were aired on Abu Dhabi TV on Saturday.
"We will carry out our duty towards our country, our people, and our residents who are also part of our family," he said, adding that the UAE, which consists of seven emirates including Dubai, would protect everyone in the country.
UAE dealing with Iranian attacks
The defence ministry, in a post on X, reassured the residents that the loud sound of explosions was due to air defence systems intercepting “ballistic missiles, drones and loitering munitions”.
“The UAE's air defences are currently dealing with incoming missile and drone threats from Iran. The Ministry of Defence confirms that the sounds heard in scattered areas of the country are the result of the air defence systems intercepting ballistic missiles, and fighter jets intercepting drones and loitering munitions. UAE air defences are currently responding to incoming missile and drone threats from Iran,” the post read.
“MOD asserts that the sounds heard are the result of the Air Defence Systems intercepting missiles and drones,” it added.
The clarification from the UAE authorities comes after reports of loud explosions being heard in Dubai. Apart from the UAE, sirens were also active in Bahrain, where AFP reported loud explosions, numbering at least five, in the capital city of Manama.
UAE says Iran not helping itself by attacking the whole neighbourhood
An Emirati official said that the United Arab Emirates wanted the Iranian aggression against non-combatant states, the Gulf states, to end immediately.
“Any sort of escalation is worrying. We want to contain the war. We don’t want the war to expand. We want to start with the Iranians realising that they are not helping themselves by attacking their whole neighbourhood, and to stop there and realise that,” the official told Reuters
