Netanyahu condemns Iranian attacks on UAE in call with Sheikh bin Zayed

While speaking with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu condemned Iranian attacks targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure in the United Arab Emirates. The call between the two leaders was confirmed by the Israeli Embassy in Abu Dhabi. Netanyahu described the strikes as 'a grave violation of sovereignty and a threat to regional stability.' He also reaffirmed Israel's solidarity with the Emirates and its full support for all measures taken to safeguard the nation's security.

In the wake of the attacks, Sheikh bin Zayed also received calls from Jordanian King Abdullah II and Masrour Barzani, PM of Iraq's Kurdistan Region, according to the official Emirates News Agency.

The attacks on May 4 were the first on the UAE since a US-brokered ceasefire took effect on April 8. UAE air defense systems engaged 12 ballistic missiles, three cruise missiles, and four drones launched from Iran. A drone sparked a large fire at the Fujairah Petroleum Industries Zone, and three Indian nationals were moderately injured in the attack. 

Israel had already deployed an Iron Dome battery to the UAE, together with Israeli troops, prior to those strikes. It was the first time Israel had sent an air defense system to another country. According to the UAE Defense Ministry, the Islamic Republic has launched more than 550 ballistic and cruise missiles and more than 2,200 drones at the Emirates, more than at any other country. 

Netanyahu also briefed US President Donald Trump on his Gulf conversations. According to regional diplomatic officials, the talks went beyond policy coordination and addressed tightening security cooperation in a manner more extensive than in the past. Although, in a press conference on Tuesday, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and US General Dan Caine said the attacks had not yet crossed the threshold of a ceasefire violation.

Against the backdrop of the renewed attacks, Sheikh bin Zayed marked the 50th anniversary of the UAE Armed Forces' unification, saluting his country's soldiers in a post on X. "I congratulate my sons and daughters, the affiliates of the valiant Armed Forces, on the fiftieth anniversary of their unification, which we celebrate with all pride and honor after its sons inscribed a magnificent national epic in defending the sovereignty of the Emirates, its land, and its security," he wrote.