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The US consulate in Dubai was hit overnight in a drone attack resulting in a fire, a Euronews correspondent in Dubai reported from the ground.
“Now the UAE and Qatar are very much aligned in that Iran has crossed a red line and has lost its compass,” Jane Witherspoon said on Wednesday morning.
The UAE defence ministry said on Wednesday that it intercepted three ballistic missiles and 121 drones out of 129 launched against the country overnight on 4 March.
The ministry also reported that since the begining of the war in Iran, 189 ballistic missiles have been launched against the UAE, 175 of them “destroyed.”
Additionally, 941 Iranian drones have been detected and 876 were intercepted. Eight cruise missiles were detected and destroyed, “causing some collateral damage” and resulting in three fatalities of Pakistani, Nepalese and Bangladeshi nationalities.
The defence ministry also reiterated that the UAE “strongly condemned this military targeting, considering it a blatant act of aggression and a flagrant violation of national sovereignty and international law.”
“The country reserves its full right to respond to this escalation and take all necessary measures to protect its territories, people, and residents, in a manner that ensures the preservation of its sovereignty, security, and stability, and protects its national interests and capabilities.”
Qatar arrested Iranian Revolutionary Guard cells
In a significant development that will send ripples through security agencies across Europe, Qatar announced the arrest of two cells operating for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in Qatar.
According to Qatar News Agency (QNA), the precision monitoring and tracking operations resulted in the capture of 10 suspects, seven of whom were tasked with espionage missions to gather intelligence on the nation’s vital and military infrastructure, alongside three others assigned to conduct sabotage activities and trained in the use of drones.
Authorities also found in their possession locations and coordinates of sensitive facilities and installations, along with communication devices and technological equipment. During the investigations, the suspects confessed their links to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and stated that they had been assigned to conduct espionage and subversion missions, QNA reports.
With the war in the Middle East in its fifth day, Israel reportedly covertly extracted part of its diplomatic staff in the UAE after two Iranian attempts to attack Israeli diplomats were foiled in recent days.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed the evacuation saying that “in light of concrete threats against Israeli missions in the UAE, and at the request of security authorities, non-essential staff were evacuated from the United Arab Emirates.”
A senior Israeli official told Channel 12 news that the two attacks were part of “a specific effort to hunt the Israeli diplomats” and “were already underway.”