UAE intercepts 1,342 UAVs, 221 ballistic missiles, 8 cruise missiles from Iran amid West Asia conflict
According to the ministry, UAE air defenses detected 17 ballistic missiles and successfully destroyed 16, while one crashed into the sea.
Simultaneously, 117 UAVs were detected, 113 of them were captured, four of them crashed into the country’s territory.
Since the beginning of Iran’s retaliatory attacks, following the start of the war after a joint US-Israeli operation killed the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on February 28, UAE air defenses detected a total of 238 ballistic missiles, of which 15 crashed into the sea and 221 were intercepted, 2 of which affected the country.
A total of 1,422 Iranian UAVs were detected, of which 1,342 were captured and 80 affected UAE territory. Additionally, 8 cruise missiles were detected and successfully destroyed.
“UAE air defense intercepted 16 ballistic missiles, 113 UAVs detected 17 ballistic missiles today (March 8, 2026), 16 of them were destroyed, 1 missile fell into the sea. In addition, a total of 117 UAVs were detected, 113 were intercepted, 4 UAVs crashed… pic.twitter.com/BTikC5pRyd – وزارة الدفاع |MOD BAE (@modgovae) March 8, 2026”
The ministry also stated that the ongoing attacks resulted in the death of four people and 112 people with moderate to minor injuries among citizens of Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh.
Among the injured are citizens of the UAE, Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Philippines, Pakistan, Iran, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Azerbaijan, Yemen, Uganda, Eritrea, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Comoros and Turkey. The Ministry of Defense reiterated its readiness to counter any threats, vowing to respond harshly to attempts to undermine national security. He emphasized that all measures have been taken to ensure the protection of the UAE’s sovereignty, stability and national interests.
This development took place at a time when tensions increased in West Asia following the death of 86-year-old Khamenei, who was killed in a joint military attack by the USA and Israel on Iran on February 28. Many senior leaders of the Islamic Republic were also killed in the attacks.
Following this, Tehran launched counter-attacks in retaliation, targeting American military bases and Israeli assets in the region, including many Arab countries. While Israel, together with the United States, continued its attacks on Tehran, Tel Aviv expanded the conflict to Lebanon and targeted Hezbollah and Iran-backed militant groups.
