Local News from Thursday, March 19th, 2026

UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah El-Sisi have underscored the need for an immediate halt to military escalation in the region during talks in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.

UAE air defences have intercepted 7 ballistic missiles and 15 drones on Thursday, an update from the Ministry of Defence confirmed.

The United Arab Emirates air defences are responding to threats of missiles and drones on Thursday morning, according to a statement from the Ministry of Defence.

The United Arab Emirates were present at a ministerial meeting with regional neighbours on Wednesday in Riyadh regarding the Iranian attacks.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, has strongly condemned and denounced the Iranian missile attacks that targeted the West Bank in a phone call with Palestine Vice President Hussein Al Sheikh on Thursday.

The UAE strongly condemned the Iranian attack targeting the Habshan gas facility and the Bab field in Abu Dhabi, which was successfully intercepted by air defences with no injuries reported.