UAE apologises for 'incorrect' missile alerts

The UAE authorities apologised on Friday after "incorrect alert messages" warning of a potential missile attack caused jitters among residents.

The official messages sent to mobile phones, warning of "potential missile threats" and accompanied by a blaring siren sound, were the first in more than a month.

They became commonplace during the Middle East war, when Iran targeted the United Arab Emirates with more than 2,800 drones and missiles, most of them intercepted.

But Friday's alerts were quickly followed by another instruction to "please disregard the previous warning."

Emergency authorities later apologised for the mishap.

"The National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority and the relevant entities apologise for this unintentional technical malfunction," said a statement posted on X.

The "sudden technical malfunction in the early warning system" has been "addressed and handled via authorities," it said.

Agence France-Presse