Published on 18/08/2026 - 17:28 GMT+2•Updated 18:57

The United Arab Emirates on Tuesday said Iran fired two ballistic missiles at its territory, neither of which hit land.

"UAE air defences detected two ballistic missiles launched from Iran toward the country, with the first falling outside the country's territorial waters, while the second fell within the territorial waters," Emirati Ministry of Defence said in a post on X.

The UAE authorities issued a brief phone alert for "potential missile threats" on Tuesday evening, with the Ministry of Defence confirming it had detected missiles "directed towards the country" for the first time in months.

"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, which 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".

While the UAE was targeted by Iran after the war broke out in late February, Tehran had ceased its strikes following the ceasefire and the signing of the framework deal to end the war in mid-June.

After the hostilities between Washington and Tehran resumed following the deal's collapse, Iran has targeted a number of neighbouring countries, including Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan.