UAE Air Defences Stop Two Drones, Third Hits Generator Near Barakah Nuclear Plant

A drone strike sparked a fire on the perimeter of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant in the United Arab Emirates, with Abu Dhabi authorities saying the blaze broke out at an electrical generator outside the plant’s inner perimeter in the Al Dhafra region on Sunday.

“A drone strike has sparked a fire on the perimeter of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), raising new concerns over a potential new regional escalation amid a fragile ceasefire between Iran and the United States”

Al Jazeera

Officials said no injuries were reported and radiation levels remained normal, while the UAE’s nuclear regulator said “All units are operating as normal.”

Al Jazeera

The UAE’s Defence Ministry said air defences dealt “successfully” with two drones while a third hit a generator near the plant, and it said three drones entered from the “western border.”

The IAEA said the incident forced one reactor to rely temporarily on emergency diesel generators, and IAEA chief Rafael Grossi expressed “grave concern” over military activity threatening nuclear facilities.

The plant is located close to the border with Saudi Arabia, about 225km (140 miles) west of Abu Dhabi, according to Al Jazeera.

In a phone call with Rafael Grossi, the UAE’s Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed condemned the “treacherous terrorist attack” and said it represented a breach of international law, while stressing the UAE’s “full right to respond” and to take necessary measures to protect security and citizens.

The UAE launched an investigation to determine the source of the drone attack after an electrical generator was set on fire outside the inner perimeter of the plant in the Al Dhafra Region, and Abu Dhabi Media Office said “No injuries were reported” and there was “no impact on radiological safety levels.”

El Mundo

The IAEA said it had been informed by the UAE that radiation levels at the Barakah NPP remained normal and that no injuries were reported after the drone strike, while also warning that “Military activity that threatens nuclear safety is unacceptable.”

Al Jazeera reported that there was no immediate claim of responsibility and that the UAE had not publicly blamed any country, even as neighbouring Qatar and Saudi Arabia condemned the attack.

Al Jazeera also said the UAE has faced repeated Iranian missile and drone attacks since the war broke out on February 28 and that attacks continued even after a ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran was announced on April 8.

The incident was framed by the UAE as a “dangerous escalation” and an “unacceptable act of aggression” and a “direct threat to the country’s security,” with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs saying the targeting of peaceful nuclear energy facilities was a “flagrant violation of international law, the UN charter, and the principles of humanitarian law.”

“Why Abu Dhabi's Barakah nuclear power plant, latest target of drone strike, is crucial to UAE The United Arab Emirates has recently accused Iran of carrying out attacks targeting the country's energy and economic infrastructure”

Hindustan Times

The UAE’s Ministry of Defence said investigations were under way to determine the source of the attack and that further details would be announced when inquiries were completed, while it also said the UAE’s air defence systems intercepted two of the three drones.

Al Jazeera reported that the IAEA said the strike forced one reactor to rely temporarily on emergency diesel generators, underscoring the immediate operational stakes described by the UN nuclear watchdog.

The Jerusalem Post reported that two sources familiar with the strike details said the drone attack on the civilian Barakah Nuclear Power Plant was intended to “send a message” to the Emiratis, including a claim that the drone deliberately targeted an energy supplier to convey that “We can also strike the nuclear reactor itself and trigger a nuclear incident.”

The UAE’s senior adviser Anwar Gargash wrote on X that the attack—“whether carried out directly by those responsible or through one of their proxies”—“represents a dangerous escalation and a dark development that violates all international laws and norms,” as the UAE continued investigating whether Tehran or the Houthis in Yemen were behind the incident.