UAE says technical glitch triggered false missile alert on residents' phones

UAE residents received a phone alert from the interior ministry warning of a "potential missile threat" on Friday, which was lifted shortly afterwards.

The UAE ministry later sent a notification to "disregard the previous warning", which appeared to be a false alarm.

The National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA) said, “Sudden technical malfunction in the early warning system, which occurred this Friday evening and resulted in the sending of incorrect warning messages, has been addressed and handled via authorities.

“The specialised teams immediately initiated the necessary corrective procedures upon detecting the issue, in accordance with approved plans to ensure service continuity and minimize any potential impact on users.

“The National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority and the relevant entities apologize for this unintentional technical malfunction, and extend their sincere thanks and appreciation to members of the community for their understanding and cooperation during the response period, and for their commitment to following official guidance and obtaining all information from official sources. This reflects a high level of community awareness and responsibility in dealing with situations.

“The concerned entities stress the importance of avoiding the circulation of any information that may have not been issued by official sources, and to following updates through approved channels, in order to maintain the accuracy of information and support the efforts of preparedness and response teams.”