Abu Dhabi, March 03 (QNA) - The United Arab Emirates stressed Tuesday that it would not and will never accept any compromise of its sovereignty, security, or territorial integrity, emphasizing that it has every right to take whatever measures are necessary to fend off any potential attack on its territory.

During a press briefing today, Spokesman for the UAE Ministry of Defence Major General Abdul Nasser Al Humaidi said that the United Arab Emirates is at the highest level of readiness and possesses the capabilities and sophisticated defense and armament systems, including national defense industries, that enable it to defend the nation's territory and safeguard its people, regardless of the duration or escalation of the situation in the region.

He added that the country maintains diversified, integrated, and multi-layered air defense systems capable of confronting various aerial threats with high efficiency through long-, medium-, and short-range systems that ensure comprehensive airspace coverage, as well as a sufficient strategic stockpile of munitions that guarantees the sustainability of engagement and interception operations against aerial threats of all types for extended periods.

Al Humaidi further stated that since the onset of the Iranian attacks, the UAE air defenses have engaged 186 ballistic missiles launched toward the country, successfully destroying 172 of them, while 13 fell into maritime waters and one missile landed on UAE territory.

He pointed out that 812 Iranian drones were detected, of which 755 were destroyed, while 57 fell inside the country. In addition, eight cruise missiles were detected and intercepted, resulting in some collateral damage. The attacks led to three fatalities and 68 minor injuries, along with limited to moderate material damage to a number of civilian objects.

Al Humaidi affirmed that all minor injuries and limited damage sustained were the result of interception operations, stressing that the air defense systems successfully engaged the hostile targets in a timely manner. This contributed to mitigating the scale of the damage and preventing greater loss of life and property. (QNA)