UAE apologises after accidental missile threat alerts sent to residents
- UAE authorities say a technical malfunction triggered false missile threat alerts.
- Residents received emergency warnings before officials instructed them to ignore the messages.
- The incident comes weeks after the UAE faced large-scale Iranian drone and missile attacks.
The United Arab Emirates has apologised after thousands of residents received false emergency alerts warning of a possible missile attack, blaming the incident on an unexpected technical malfunction in the country’s early warning system.
The emergency notifications were sent to mobile phones on Friday and warned of “potential missile threats,” accompanied by a loud siren sound. The alerts briefly caused concern among residents before authorities quickly issued a second message instructing people to ignore the earlier warning.
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In a statement shared on X, the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA) apologised for the incident, describing it as an unintentional technical error.
“The National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority and the relevant entities apologise for this unintentional technical malfunction,” the authority said.
Officials added that the unexpected fault in the early warning system had been identified and resolved, confirming that the situation was promptly handled by the relevant authorities.
The alerts were the first such warnings issued in more than a month. Similar notifications had become common during the recent Middle East conflict, when Iran launched more than 2,800 drones and missiles toward the UAE. Most of those projectiles were intercepted before reaching their targets.
The UAE, which hosts US military forces along with several other Gulf nations, was among the countries affected by Iran’s retaliation following US-Israeli strikes that killed Iran’s supreme leader.
The false alert also came just days after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Abu Dhabi as part of a regional tour aimed at reassuring Gulf allies and discussing ongoing diplomatic efforts with Iran.
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