Fun seekers have filmed the dramatic moment a fighter jet belonging to the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces shot down an Iranian attack drone over a beach in Dubai.
The video, said to have been captured near Al Mamzar Beach, shows beachgoers looking skyward as a low-flying drone passes over the water.
Moments later, a F‑16E Fighting Falcon fighter jet enters the frame and fires what appears to be an AIM‑9X Sidewinder at the drone.
The drone, believed to be a Shahed‑136, was destroyed seconds after the missile struck it.
The interception came amid heightened tensions in the Middle East. The United Arab Emirates Ministry of Defence said on Sunday that its air defence systems detected 117 drones approaching the country, intercepting and destroying 113 of them, while four reportedly fell within UAE territory.
Officials also stated that air defence units intercepted 16 Iranian missiles, while one missile landed in the sea.
The attacks were described as part of a wave of retaliatory strikes launched by Iran against several Gulf nations, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia.
UAE authorities also claimed that since the start of recent hostilities following strikes by the United States and Israel, Iran has launched 238 ballistic missiles toward UAE territory. According to the government, 221 were intercepted, while only two reached their intended targets.
The drone interceptions come after a separate attack on Saturday that reportedly left one person dead and damaged residential buildings in Dubai.
Debris from an intercepted drone struck the 88-storey 23 Marina Tower, causing a fire. Another incident in the Al Barsha district reportedly killed a Pakistani driver after falling debris struck his vehicle near the Azayez Tower.
The unrest also temporarily disrupted operations at Dubai International Airport after a suspected drone strike caused an explosion close to the airport complex.
In response to the threat, the UAE military has deployed advanced aircraft, including the F‑16E/F Block 60 Desert Falcon and the Dassault Mirage 2000‑9, to intercept incoming drones and missiles.
Meanwhile, Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, reportedly apologised to Gulf countries for the strikes, saying attacks would cease unless those nations were used as bases for operations against Iran.
In a separate development on Monday, the UAE confirmed that two soldiers were killed after a military helicopter crashed due to a technical malfunction while responding to the ongoing drone and missile threats.
See the footage on our Telegram Channel here.
