Drone strike sparks fire at Abu Dhabi nuclear plant
Visitors inspect a model for UAE’s Barakah nuclear power plant at the exhibition of World Utilities Congress in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on May 8, 2023. File Photo by Ali Haider/EPA
May 17 (UPI) — A drone strike on a nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates sparked a fire at the facility Sunday, defense officials said.
The UAE’s Defense Ministry said three drones entered the country from the “western border direction,” two of which were intercepted. The third carried out a strike on an electrical generator at the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in Abu Dhabi, the BBC reported.
Politico said there were no reports of injuries or a release of radiation at the facility.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the UAE’s Foreign Ministry described it as an “unacceptable act of aggression.”
“The targeting of peaceful nuclear energy facilities is a flagrant violation of international law, the U.N. charter and the principles of humanitarian law,” the ministry said.
Rafael Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said in a statement on X that “military activity that threatens nuclear safety is unacceptable.”