Posted originally on CTH on March 1, 2026 | Sundance 

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a very popular tourist destination in the middle east with most travelers traveling to the playground of Dubai.  Their economy and image as a safe and secure country are very important.  As a result, they are keenly sensitive, proactive toward negative impressions and highly focused on international opinion/security.

Iran has been sending drones and cruise/ballistic missiles into the entire region; hitting Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan and Israel.

The UAE is sharing how intense they are being targeted along with the network of defense systems being deployed to intercept the attacks.

UAE Ministry of Defense confirms we successfully shot down: 165 ballistic missiles, 2 cruise missiles and 541 drones fired by Iran.

On day 2, we shot down 20 ballistic missiles (8 fell in sea), 2 cruise missiles, and 311 drones. 21 drones hit civilian targets. {SOURCE}

This is a remarkable amount of Iranian firepower being targeted toward one regional nation.  The air defense system of the UAE is highlighting the value in very proactive defense positioning.  Quite remarkable.

[SOURCE]

“[…] – The UAE’s air defense today achieved a success rate of more than 96% in intercepting missiles after destroying 132 out of 137, and more than 93% in intercepting drones after intercepting 195 out of 209, for a total of 327 threats intercepted out of 346 with a success rate of around 95%. This is a figure that places it among the highest interception rates globally, which typically range between 85% and 95% depending on the type of threat and the conditions of engagement.” (source)