File image.
The defense ministry of the United Arab Emirates said on May 19 that its air defenses intercepted six drones targeting “civilian and vital areas in the country” over the past 48 hours, adding that the attacks originated from Iraqi territory and caused no casualties or serious damage to facilities.
Three of the drone attacks occurred May 17, including a “brazen attack” on the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), the statement notes.
Barakah, located in Abu Dhabi, is the Arab world’s first and only fully operational nuclear power plant. With a capacity of 5,600 MW across four reactors, it supplies up to 25 percent of the UAE’s electricity and significantly reduces the nation’s carbon footprint. A drone managed to hit an electrical generator outside the inner perimeter of the NPP.
“The Defense Ministry emphasizes the full readiness of the armed forces to deal with any threats targeting the security of the state and its national capabilities,” the statement concluded.
Also on May 17, the ministry of defense of Saudi Arabia reported that three drones were intercepted and destroyed by its air defenses after entering the Kingdom’s airspace from the direction of Iraq. No casualties or damage were reported at the time.
Several Iran-aligned armed factions are active in Iraq, mainly within a coalition known as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI).
The coalition carried out daily attacks with missiles and drones after the start of the war on the Islamic Republic, mainly targeting facilities housing or supporting the U.S. military in Iraq and neighboring countries. However, it has paused its attacks since the ceasefire entered into effect.
The latest drone attacks on the UAE and Saudi Arabia came amid notable progress in peace talks between the U.S. and Iran.
On May 18, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he called off a planned large-scale military attack on Iran scheduled for the next day after the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE urged him to hold off as “serious negotiations” were underway.
While it is possible that the IRI was behind the attacks on the UAE and Saudi Arabia, it is also possible that the drones were launched from Iraq by a third party as a part of a false-flag operation.
Amid the war on Iran, the Israeli military and intelligence operated not one, but two secret bases with airstrips in Iraq’s western desert.
According to a recent report by The New York Times, Israel built the bases to cut down on flight time for strikes in Iran, provide medical treatment, and aid in logistics and other forms of support for the Israeli Air Force. They also housed special forces troops and search-and-rescue teams who were poised to act if any Israeli pilots were downed.
Israel likely still has similar secret bases in Iraq to this day, and it is not completely impossible that the country was behind the recent attacks to sabotage ongoing efforts to broker an agreement between the U.S. and Iran, which are clearly backed by both the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence
NOW hosted at southfront.press
Previously, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.org.
The .org domain name had been blocked by the US (NATO) (https://southfront.press/southfront-org-blocked-by-u-s-controlled-global-internet-supervisor/) globally, outlawed and without any explanation
Back before that, from 2013 to 2015, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.com
