A drone attack on the United Arab Emirates caused a fire in an electricity generator at the Barakah nuclear power plant west of Abu Dhabi, the capital’s media office reported on Sunday.
The UAE’s Defence Ministry later said that three drones approaching from the west had entered the country’s airspace. Two were intercepted, while a third struck a power generator outside the plant’s inner security perimeter. Investigations into the attack are ongoing, it added.
The fire did not affect the plant’s safety systems and operations are continuing as normal, authorities said. No injuries were reported.
Since the end of February, the UAE has reported close to 3,000 Iranian attacks involving missiles, drones and cruise missiles. The country has borne the brunt of such attacks since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran on February 28.
Barakah is the most important source of electricity in the UAE, with its four reactors providing around a quarter of national demand. The Korean-designed facility is the first nuclear power station in the Arab world.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) expressed “grave concern” following the incident.
“Military activity that threatens nuclear safety is unacceptable,” IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi was quoted as saying in a statement on X.
“The IAEA has been informed by the UAE that radiation levels at the Barakah NPP remain normal” following the drone strike, the agency said.
The UAE’s foreign minister, Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, condemned the attack as a "flagrant violation of international law" in a phone call with Grossi, the state news agency WAM reported. He stressed the UAE’s right
to respond to these terrorist attacks and to take all necessary measures to protect its security, territorial integrity and citizens."
