First: Information on the Attacks:
Methods:
- 12 ballistic missiles, all of which were intercepted.
- 4 cruise missiles, 3 of which were intercepted, and the fourth fell into the sea.
- 4 drones, one of which managed to hit a facility in Fujairah, causing a fire that was brought under control.
- Total: 20 attack methods.
Iran denied responsibility for the attacks and accused the US Navy of launching them, just as it had accused Israel at the beginning of the war.
Second: Assessment:
- Facts:
- The easily detectable trajectories of the attack methods and the analysis of the debris revealed the falsehood of Iran’s claims at the beginning of the war. Iran will have to prove its claims. Iran’s denial of launching the recent attacks against the UAE can therefore be understood as an attempt to avoid violating the ceasefire and resuming hostilities.
- The attack involved a combination of ballistic and cruise missiles and drones.
- The number of missiles was moderate.
- There was limited damage to a facility in Fujairah.
- Conclusions:
- The attacks may have been intended to provoke the UAE’s air defense capabilities in order to reveal its new capabilities, which are concentrated in two systems that the UAE reportedly received from Israel recently:
*The conventional Iron Dome system: This system was developed to intercept cruise missiles and short-range projectiles, as well as ballistic missiles, as a last line of defense, but not as a primary function, as it does not replace the THAAD and Patriot systems.
*The laser-guided Iron Dome system: This system intercepts drones.
Its capabilities can be identified by observing its interception methods.
- Responding to what Iran considered Emirati aggression, Tehran announced it had shot down a Chinese-made Wing Loong II drone in the Shiraz region.
- Demonstrating Iran’s seriousness and its ability to continue threatening the Gulf states.
