Source : Perth Now news
Authorities in the United Arab Emirates have sounded an incoming missile alert for Dubai before quickly telling the public to “disregard the previous warning” and later saying it was triggered by a technical malfunction.
The mobile phone alert startled many across the city-state of Dubai, the first such alert since the United States and Iran last week reached an interim ceasefire in the war.
The warning underscored the ongoing tensions in the region following an attack on a cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz and Israeli strikes in Lebanon over the past few days.
Iranian forces were suspected of launching a drone attack against a tanker off the coast of Oman on Thursday as they increasingly challenge the region and the US over its control of the strait, even with the current interim deal in the Iran war.
The National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority said the issue on Friday evening had been addressed and that specialised teams had begun corrective procedures to ensure service continuity and minimise any effects.
The brief text alert that was sent from the UAE’s interior ministry on Friday afternoon was also the first of its kind in Dubai during the Iran war.
However, alerts have gone off in the region warning of incoming Iranian missiles and drones following the start of the war on February 28, when the US and Iran launched their strikes on Iran.
A short time after the alert, UAE officials said there was a telephone call between Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqhchi.
It quoted Sheikh Abdullah as telling Araqhchi that the UAE “emphasised the importance of full commitment” to the interim deal between Iran and the US.
“Serious diplomacy and responsible dialogue are the optimal path for addressing all regional and international crises,” it said.
The US and Iran are still negotiating terms of the interim peace deal, including issues such as getting ships through the key strait and addressing the future of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
Under the interim deal, the two sides have 60 days to work out the details.
with Reuters
