A drone attack has sparked a fire at the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as Iran continues to launch sustained attacks on Gulf countries amid the United States-Israeli joint war on its soil more than two weeks ago.
The Fujairah government’s media office on Tuesday said there were no casualties from the attack on the energy facility, located about 150km (93 miles) east of Dubai.
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Later in the day, a projectile struck a tanker anchored 23 nautical miles (42.6km) east of Fujairah in the UAE, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said.
No injuries were reported in the incident, which caused minor structural damage, it added. According to UKMTO, the vessel’s company security officer said investigations indicate the damage was likely caused by falling debris from interceptions in the area.
This comes after another fire broke out at the Fujairah oil hub on Saturday, when debris fell during the interception of a drone.
Abu Dhabi authorities also reported a separate incident involving falling debris in the Bani Yas area, following the interception of a ballistic missile by air defence systems. The incident resulted in the death of a Pakistani national, the Abu Dhabi media office said.
Meanwhile, the UAE Ministry of Defence said its air defences were repelling incoming missiles and drones from Iran, causing loud bangs and a brief closure of UAE airspace.
The UAE’s Defence Ministry said it it has intercepted 10 Iranian ballistic missiles and 45 drones on Tuesday.
Iran has sought to justify its attacks on Gulf countries by arguing that the presence of US military bases on their soil makes those states legitimate targets, after Israel and the US launched joint air attacks on Tehran on February 28.
However, civilian infrastructure has also been hit, including landmarks, airports, ports and oil facilities across the Gulf.
The UAE, which normalised relations with Israel in 2020, has faced the brunt of the attacks. Iran has fired more than 1,800 missiles and drones at the UAE, more than any other country attacked by Tehran in the conflict.
All Gulf Arab states have been affected, reporting more than 2,000 missile and drone attacks since the war began.
Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait also intercepted drones and missiles on Tuesday.
Authorities in Qatar sent out an alert in the afternoon saying a “security threat had been eliminated and the situation has returned to normal”.
That followed a second “elevated” security threat alert that was sent out a short while before.
Qatar’s Defence Ministry said its armed forces “successfully intercepted a second wave of missiles attack, which targeted the State of Qatar”.
Earlier in the day, Qatar’s Ministry of Interior said civil defence staff were dealing with a “limited fire” in an industrial area following shrapnel falling from an intercepted missile.
A public safety alert was issued in Qatar amid the sound of explosions heard by residents in Doha. “No injuries recorded,” the ministry said in a post on social media.
Al Jazeera’s Victoria Gatenby, reporting from Doha, said, ” Authorities are dealing with that at the moment. No one was injured.”
“There has also been more disruption across the region. The UAE’s entire airspace had to be closed early this morning for several hours because of warnings of missile attacks from Iran. It has now reopened, but of course major transit hubs like Dubai International Airport have had to cancel or reschedule flights, causing massive disruptions for passengers.
Gatenby said the death in Abu Dhabi Tuesday “comes after the same authorities confirmed yesterday that a Palestinian man had been killed after a rocket fell on a residential area. These attacks from Iran are still causing a huge disruption in this region”, she added.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense said two drones were intercepted and destroyed in the east of the country. Earlier, the ministry said six drones were engaged by Saudi forces in the same region of the country and successfully destroyed.
The Kuwait National Guard announced it had successfully intercepted two drones, without specifying the target or location of the attack.
In a joint statement, the Gulf Cooperation Council countries condemned the “sinful Iranian attacks” on Monday and pledged to defend their territories.
In the meantime, Iran’s “unlawful” strikes across the Gulf are endangering civilians, Human Rights Watch has said.
Since the US-Israeli attacks on on February 28, Iran has launched hundreds of drones and missiles against what is says are US military sites and infrastructure in GCC countries.
However, “many of the Iranian attacks have struck civilian residential buildings, hotels, civilian airports, and embassies, and have unlawfully targeted civilian objects such as financial centres”, HRW said.
