Abu Dhabi, — March 1, 2026 : An Iranian drone strike targeted a warehouse facility at the Al Salam Naval Base in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, causing a localized fire but resulting in no casualties, according to an official statement issued by the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Defence.
The attack took place on the second consecutive day of hostilities involving Iran and multiple regional states, following a wave of coordinated military operations between the United States and Israel against Iranian territory on Saturday. Those strikes reportedly resulted in the death of Iran’s supreme leader, triggering expanded Iranian military responses across the Gulf region.
Incident at Al Salam Naval Base
In its official statement, the UAE Defence Ministry confirmed that two unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) launched by Iranian forces struck a warehouse area at the Al Salam Naval Base — also known as Camp de la Paix. The facility is primarily an Emirati military installation that currently hosts French military personnel under an official agreement between the UAE and France.
The Ministry said that specialised response teams were dispatched immediately following the incident and that the strikes “caused a fire in two containers of general materials, but there were no casualties.” Emergency crews brought the fire under control and no injuries were reported among base personnel.
French authorities have so far declined to issue an official comment regarding the strike or the status of their deployed forces at the base.
Wider Regional Escalation
The drone strike on the Abu Dhabi base comes amid a broader escalation in the Middle East that began on Saturday when U.S. and Israeli forces conducted coordinated military operations against Iranian targets. Iranian state media confirmed the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during those strikes, a development widely reported by international news agencies and corroborated by U.S. and Israeli officials.
In retaliation for the loss of their leader, Iranian military forces launched multiple waves of drone and missile attacks across the Gulf region on Sunday. The UAE Defence Ministry reported that its air defence systems had tracked and engaged a large number of incoming threats, including hundreds of drones and scores of ballistic missiles since the start of Iran’s retaliatory campaign.
At least three foreign nationals have been confirmed killed and 58 others injured in various Iranian strikes within UAE territory, according to UAE official figures. Airspace closures in the region have also forced the suspension of operations at major airports, including in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, impacting international and regional flight schedules.
UAE Response and Security Operations
The UAE Defence Ministry has described the attacks as violations of the nation’s sovereignty and affirmed the ongoing efforts by its defence and civil response units to secure critical infrastructure and protect civilian populations. The ministry stated that it reserves the right to act in accordance with international law to defend national security.
Regional partners, including governments in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), have also reported heightened alert levels across military and civil defence systems amid the wider conflict.
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