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), authorities confirmed.
The UAE Defence Ministry said the attacks were retaliatory strikes by Iran, following allegations that the Gulf nation allowed the United States to use its military bases for operations against Tehran.
Since the conflict began on February 28, the ministry reported that 262 ballistic missiles were launched from Iran; 241 missiles were intercepted and destroyed, 19 missiles fell into the sea, and 2 missiles struck UAE territory.
In addition, 1,475 Iranian UAVs were detected, of which 1,385 were intercepted, while 90 fell within the country. Eight cruise missiles were also detected and destroyed.
The missile and drone attacks have caused six deaths among Emirati, Pakistani, Nepalese, and Bangladeshi nationals, while 122 people sustained moderate to minor injuries. The injured include citizens from 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. The exact number of injured by nationality was not disclosed.
On Wednesday, the UAE confirmed that its air defence systems were actively responding to incoming missiles and drones from Iran, and that explosions heard in parts of the country were the result of missile interceptions.
VANGUARD