Abu Dhabi arrests 45 for spreading misinformation, filming attack sites amid Iran strikes

UAE says air defences intercepted hundreds of Iranian missiles and drones as Gulf tensions escalate

Police in the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi said on Saturday they had arrested 45 people, including foreigners, for "spreading misinformation and filming and sharing event locations" as Iran continued to strike the Gulf.

"The Abu Dhabi Police Criminal Investigation Department arrested 45 individuals of various nationalities for filming different locations during ongoing events and posting them on social media platforms," the police said.

"They were also accused of spreading inaccurate and misleading information, which could incite public opinion and spread rumours within the community," they added.

#أخبارنا | #شرطة_أبوظبي تضبط 45 شخصاً لقيامهم بتداول معلومات مضللة وتصوير ونشر مواقع الأحداث

ضبطت مديرية التحريات والتحقيقات الجنائية بشرطة أبوظبي 45 شخصاً من جنسيات مختلفة لقيامهم بتصوير مواقع مختلفة خلال الأحداث الجارية، ونشرها عبر منصات التواصل الاجتماعي، إلى جانب تداول… pic.twitter.com/WAAAiMUAW2

— شرطة أبوظبي (@ADPoliceHQ) March 13, 2026

The UAE Ministry of Defence said in a post on X on Friday that the country’s air defences had intercepted 285 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles and 1,567 drones since the start of what it described as “blatant Iranian aggression.”

الدفاعات الجوية الإماراتية تتعامل مع الصواريخ الباليستية والجوالة والمسيرات الإيرانية.

UAE Air Defences engaged Iranian
Ballistic and Cruise Missiles and UAVs Attacks#وزارة_الدفاع #وزارة_الدفاع_الإماراتية#MOD#UAEMinistryOfDefence pic.twitter.com/kdiURIadvG

— وزارة الدفاع |MOD UAE (@modgovae) March 13, 2026

The ministry says it will “firmly confront any attempts to undermine State security,” while safeguarding the country’s sovereignty, stability and national interests.

After nearly two weeks of war, 2,000 people have been killed, most in Iran, but many in Lebanon and a growing number in the Gulf, which has, for the first time in decades of Middle East conflicts, found itself on the front line.

Several million people have been displaced from their homes. As Israeli warplanes pounded Beirut's suburbs with air strikes, Lebanon's interior minister said authorities were unable to accommodate the hundreds of thousands of people who had sought refuge in the capital.