An Indian national was slightly injured in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, early Monday after debris from a ballistic missile fell in the Al Shawamekh area after it was successfully intercepted.
Dozens of Indians, including workers and sailors, have been injured in attacks across Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Iraq.
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She added: “We remind the public of the need to obtain information from official sources only and to avoid spreading rumors or unconfirmed information.”
Missile and drone attacks are escalating by the day as the US-Iran war enters its fourth week on Monday.
The UAE Ministry of Defense said on Sunday that air defenses responded to 25 drones and four ballistic missiles. The Ministry indicated that since the beginning of the Iranian “aggression” following the joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran, the UAE has dealt with 1,773 drones, 15 cruise missiles, and 345 ballistic missiles.
So far, six Indians have lost their lives in the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, with Saudi Arabia reporting its first Indian casualty last week. Earlier, two Indians were killed in an attack on an industrial area in Oman, and three sailors were killed in attacks on commercial ships during the days of conflict.
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During the joint ministerial briefings, the Center emphasized that it is focusing on the safety and security of 10 million Indian citizens living in war-hit West Asian countries.
The Gulf state has assured India that the safety of Indians living there is its “priority,” the UAE’s ambassador to India, Abdel Nasser Al Shaali, said on Saturday, stressing that they are protected and treated like family.
Al-Shaali also expressed his appreciation for India’s move to co-sponsor a United Nations resolution condemning Iran’s attacks on the Gulf states, noting that it was a statement of principle from a country that the United Arab Emirates considers a strategic partner and friend.
He added that the UAE will remember that India was among “those who stood with us first.”
“The safety of Indian citizens in the UAE is a priority. They are protected and treated like family, including 200 nationalities living in the country in peace and harmony,” Al Shaali told news agency PTI.
He pointed out that four million Indians reside in the UAE, saying that they are “not a statistic.”
He added: “They are the son from Kerala who sends money home every month so his mother can pay her medical bills, the engineer from Hyderabad who builds infrastructure that will last a century, and the teacher from Tamil Nadu who shapes the future of Emirati children.”
He said that the safety of Indians living in the country is a “personal responsibility” that the UAE leadership bears every day.
“What I would like to say to the Indian families is that the UAE’s commitment to protecting the people who have built their lives here is absolute,” the envoy said.
