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More drone strikes hit the UAE and Saudi Arabia over the weekend, with the UAE again bearing the brunt of the damage. Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry said yesterday it intercepted three drones entering the Kingdom from Iraqi airspace, without specifying what the drones were targeting or who launched them. In the UAE, three drones were detected by the Defense Ministry yesterday, with one landing near the Barakah nuclear power plant and causing a fire.
No injuries, but definitely alarm bells: No injuries were reported from the Baraka plant fire, with all units continuing to operate normally at the power plant. The International Atomic Energy Agency also said radiation levels at the plant remained normal, but Director General Rafael Grossi described military activity threatening nuclear facilities as “unacceptable” and renewed calls for restraint around nuclear sites.
So far, there’s been neither blame nor claim for the drone strike targeting a plant that is the UAE’s largest source of electrical energy, as well as a key pillar of its diversification strategy away from oil. The strike follows news that the Emirates’ largest gas plant, Adnoc Gas’ Habshan facility, won’t be fully operational again until next year following an Iranian strike.
The drones hit as Israel and Lebanon agreed to extend their fragile ceasefire following two days of negotiations in Washington, with the extension running for an additional 45 days. Negotiations are set to resume at the end of the month, with the Pentagon kicking off a “security track” for the talks on 29 May, while the “State Department will reconvene the political track of negotiations on June 2 and June 3.”
The ceasefire remains tenuous at best, with Israel continuing to carry out deadly strikes in Lebanon. An Israeli airstrike in south Lebanon yesterday killed six people, including three paramedics, and left a fourth paramedic injured. Yesterday’s strike followed another attack on Wednesday that killed 22 people, including eight children.
