At least one Nigerian has been listed among the 122 people injured during the interception of ballistic missiles launched by Iran toward the United Arab Emirates.
The UAE Ministry of Defence disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, saying the missile launches formed part of Iran’s retaliatory action following allegations that the Gulf nation allowed the United States to use its military bases to carry out operations against Tehran.
According to the ministry, its air defence systems have detected a total of 262 ballistic missiles fired from Iran since the escalation of hostilities on February 28.
It stated that 241 of the missiles were successfully intercepted and destroyed, while 19 fell into the sea and two landed within the UAE territory.
The ministry also revealed that 1,475 Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles were detected during the period, noting that 1,385 were intercepted, while 90 fell within the country’s territory. It added that eight cruise missiles were also detected and destroyed by its defence systems.
The statement indicated that the attacks led to the deaths of six people from different nationalities, including citizens of the UAE, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh, while 122 others sustained moderate to minor injuries.
Among those injured were nationals from several countries, including 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 provide details on the number of casualties recorded from each country.
Meanwhile, the UAE government said on Wednesday that its air defence systems were once again responding to new missile and drone threats launched from Iran.
In a post on X, the defence ministry said its forces were actively intercepting the incoming projectiles, adding that the explosions heard in parts of the country were caused by the destruction of the missiles and drones by its air defence systems.
