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Dalena Reporters l Sunday, March 1, 2026
ABU DHABI — A French naval base located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) suffered minor material damage after being struck by an Iranian-launched drone, French officials confirmed on Sunday, as regional tensions continue to escalate amid ongoing conflict.
According to French Defence Minister Catherine Vautrin, the unmanned aerial vehicle — part of a broader wave of Iranian drone and missile attacks across the Gulf region caused damage to a hangar adjacent to the base, which borders a UAE military installation at Zayed Port in Abu Dhabi. Ms. Vautrin was quick to emphasise that no French military personnel were harmed in the incident.
“The damage is material only and limited,” Vautrin said in a statement shared on social media platform X, underscoring that the base’s operational area was not directly hit and that the French contingent remains fully alert amid rapidly changing conditions.
France maintains a military presence in the UAE under a bilateral defence agreement with Abu Dhabi, part of a broader regional framework involving allied forces responding to recent hostilities. The drone strike comes amid a series of attacks that have targeted infrastructure across the Gulf, including commercial hubs and diplomatic sites, in retaliation for the intensifying confrontation involving the United States, Israel and Iran.
While the incident did not result in casualties, it underscores the risk of spill-over effects on foreign military assets stationed in the region and adds complexity to efforts by nations to safeguard personnel and installations as the Middle East crisis continues to evolve.
International observers say the sustained use of drones by Iranian forces has challenged traditional air-defence postures and heightened concerns over protecting civilian and allied facilities well beyond direct combat zones.