Abu Dhabi, May 17 (QNA) - Targeting critical civilian facilities and infrastructure amounts to a flagrant breach of international law, said UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Sheikh Abdullah stressed that the UAE retains the full right to respond to these attacks and take all essential measures to protect its security, territorial integrity, and citizens.

In a telephone conversation with the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Mariano Grossi, the UAE Minister underscored the UAE's enduring commitment to boosting nuclear security and peace on both the regional and global stages.

Both sides also discussed bilateral cooperation and avenues for advancing it in multiple fields, in pursuit of supporting the peaceful handling of nuclear power based on the highest international safety standards, as well as security and non-proliferation.

Earlier on Sunday, the UAE Ministry of Defense confirmed that its air defenses engaged three UAVs, two of them were intercepted, while the third one slammed into a [power generator] outside the internal perimeter of the [Barakah Nuclear Power Plant] in the Al Dhafra region of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. (QNA)