Dubai, UAE News Live Updates: Ukraine exports drone defence expertise to Gulf amid Iran threat
A Middle East Airlines plane takes off from Rafik Hariri International Airport as smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut’s southern suburbs, Lebanon. (Source: AP Photo)
Dubai, UAE, Abu Dhabi, Iran War News Live Updates: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine has deployed over 200 experts to help Gulf nations counter Iranian drones. The move leverages Ukraine’s experience against Iran-supplied Shahed drones used by Russia since 2022. With a 90% interception success rate, Kyiv is sharing cost-effective drone defence tactics with the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait.
Meanwhile, a Kuwaiti petroleum refinery was targeted by Iranian drones on Friday morning. In a second wave of strikes, the Mina Al-Ahmadi oil refinery was hit, leading to a fire outbreak in several of its units. The refinery is estimated to process around 730,000 barrels of oil per day. Saudi Arabia shot down multiple Iranian drones that aimed at the country’s Eastern Province oil reserve. The Defence Ministry spokesperson confirmed that three drones were intercepted by the Saudi air defences on Friday morning, while around 10 were destroyed on different occasions over the past several hours.
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Terror network dismantled: The UAE administration said it has dismantled a “terrorist network” funded by Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Iran on Friday. Five members from the network have been arrested. The network, while threatening national security, was involved in money laundering and terrorism financing under a fictitious commercial cover. As per the state news agency, the network breached several economic and legal regulations. There has been no immediate response from Hezbollah or Iran.
“The network had been operating within the country under a fictitious commercial cover and sought to infiltrate the national economy and carry out external schemes threatening the country’s financial stability,” said the UAE state news agency.
Qatar energy plant attack: The Iranian attack on Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City has reduced the country’s LNG export capacity by 17 per cent. As per QatarEnergy, the “extensive damage will reduce the annual revenue by $20 billion and might take up to five years to repair.”
UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and US President Donald Trump got on a call on Thursday, March 19, to discuss the developments across the region and the Iranian attacks targeting the UAE, violating international law and threatening the state’s sovereignty.
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