UAE Apologises After Erroneous Missile Warning Sparks Panic

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) authorities issued an apology on Friday (26/6) after releasing an “erroneous warning message” regarding a potential missile attack. The false missile alert caused significant concern among UAE residents.

In this incident, as reported by AFP on Saturday (27/6/2026), an official message was sent to the mobile phones of UAE citizens, warning of a “potential missile threat” accompanied by a loud siren sound. This marked the first warning message received by UAE residents in over a month.

Such warning messages had become common during the ongoing Middle East conflict, during which Iran targeted the UAE with more than 2,800 drones and missiles, most of which were intercepted.

However, the warning released on Friday (2lag/6) was immediately followed by another instruction requesting UAE citizens to “ignore the previous warning.”

UAE emergency authorities subsequently issued an apology for the error.

“The National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority and related agencies apologise for this unintentional technical disruption,” stated the UAE authorities via the social media platform X.

It was further explained that the “sudden technical disruption in the early warning system” had been “addressed by the relevant authorities.”

The oil-rich UAE, like other Gulf nations that host United States (US) military forces, finds itself on the frontline of potential Iranian retaliatory strikes following US and Israeli actions that killed its top leader.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Abu Dhabi this week as part of a series of visits aimed at reassuring heavily impacted Gulf nations regarding peace negotiations with Iran.