At least one Nigerian has been identified among dozens of people injured during the interception of Iranian ballistic missiles in the United Arab Emirates UAE as tensions continue to escalate in the Middle East.
The UAE Ministry of Defence said the attacks formed part of retaliatory strikes launched by Iran after allegations that the Gulf country permitted the United States to use its military bases for operations against Tehran.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the ministry said its air defence systems had tracked 262 ballistic missiles launched from Iran since the conflict began on February 28.
According to the ministry, 241 of the missiles were successfully intercepted and destroyed, while 19 fell into the sea and two landed within UAE territory.
Authorities also revealed that 1,475 Iranian drones had been detected during the period. Of these, 1,385 were intercepted, while 90 landed within the country. Eight cruise missiles were also detected and destroyed.
The ministry said the attacks resulted in six deaths involving nationals from the UAE, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh, while 122 others sustained injuries ranging from moderate to minor.
Those injured included individuals from several countries such as the UAE, Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Pakistan, Iran, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Azerbaijan, Yemen, Uganda, Eritrea, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Bahrain, the Comoros, Türkiye, Iraq, Nepal, Nigeria, Oman, Jordan and Palestine.
However, the authorities did not state how many people from each nationality were affected.
Meanwhile, the defence ministry said on Wednesday that its air defence systems were again responding to fresh missile and drone threats from Iran.
“UAE air defences are currently responding to incoming missile and drone threats from Iran,” the ministry said in a statement.
