UAE warns of 'potential missile threats'; issues advisory to seek safe place

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) issued a brief phone alert for “potential missile threats” on Tuesday (August 18, 2026) with the Ministry of Defence confirming it had detected missiles “directed towards the country” for the first time in months.

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“Due to the current situation, potential missile threats, immediately seek a safe place in the closest secure building,” the Interior Ministry said in the phone alert. It was lifted shortly after.

It was the first such alert since a false alarm in June and an alert in July for an attack that ultimately did not enter UAE territory. Before that, the last missile warning came in early May.

The Emirati Defence Ministry said it had “detected a missile threat directed towards the country”. Tankers belonging to state-owned oil company ADNOC have been repeatedly targeted previously few weeks.

When the West Asia war began on February 28, the UAE bore the brunt of Iran’s attacks, with nearly 3,000 missiles and drones directed at the country — more than anywhere else in the region.

After a Memorandum of Understanding came into effect in June between the two parties. It has since collapsed, the UAE reported no attacks, unlike other Gulf states.