The United Arab Emirates said Monday that Iranian forces launched 15 ballistic missiles and 18 drones toward the country as of roughly 4 p.m. local time. UAE authorities reported that 12 of those missiles were destroyed, three fell into the sea, and all but one of the drones were intercepted.
That combined total represents the lowest tally of detected projectiles since the conflict began on February 28. UAE government figures cited the early days of the campaign when Iran launched around 350 projectiles on each of the first two days. Launch activity subsequently eased to about 135 projectiles and stayed near that level until Sunday, according to the UAE's account.
The UAE has been the most frequently targeted Arab state in this exchange of strikes, based on the government's tracking of launches. The lower counts recorded on Monday follow several days of more active launch rates earlier in the campaign.
Other Gulf countries reported similar defensive activity on Monday. Qatari forces intercepted 17 ballistic missiles and six drones on Monday, a level described as similar to recent days. Bahrain reported shooting down seven drones by noon local time, a figure lower than in previous days.
Why the number of attacks fell on Monday is not clear from the information provided. It also remains uncertain whether this is the start of a sustained decline or a temporary lull in launches.
Officials in the United States and Israel, along with Gulf state authorities, are reported to be hoping that the drop in launches reflects dwindling Iranian missile and drone inventories. Iranian leaders, for their part, say that they do not face such shortages and that they can sustain the current intensity of operations for at least six months.
The situation therefore presents two competing public narratives: one pointing to potential depletion of munitions, and the other asserting continued Iranian capacity. The available statements and interception tallies do not resolve which account is accurate, leaving the trajectory of future launches undecided based on the present record.
Note: Numbers and statements in this report are based on government disclosures cited above.