On April 3, 2026, 12 civilians – seven Nepalese nationals and five Indian nationals – were injured by falling debris in the Ajban area of Abu Dhabi, UAE, following the alleged interception of Iranian missiles and drones by UAE air defences.

The day of the strike, the Abu Dhabi Media Office announced via Twitter X that following an “incident involving falling debris in the Ajban area, which resulted from the successful interception by air defenses, the relevant authorities confirm that the incident resulted in minor to moderate injuries to six Nepalese nationals and five Indian nationals. One Nepalese national sustained serious injuries.”

Numerous sources carried this information, citing the Abu Dhabi Media Office/UAE authorities.

According to Asharq News, “operations at the Habshan gas facilities were suspended while authorities dealt with a fire caused by the debris.” It also reported that “earlier on Friday, the UAE Ministry of Defense announced that its air defenses had engaged missile and drone attacks launched from Iran” and further cited the ministry, claiming that “the sounds heard in various parts of the country were a result of the UAE’s air defense systems engaging ballistic and cruise missiles and drones.”

According to the Nepali Embassy in Abu Dhabi, six of the injured were discharged after receiving medical care, while the seriously injured individual continued to undergo treatment at a hospital. The embassy said it has maintained telephone contact with the injured and has visited four of them in-person to assess their condition. This information was reported by the Kathmandu Post.

Where sources identified the belligerent, all sources attributed the initial attack to the Iranian military. As the air defenses of the United Arab Emirates were involved in the interception of the missile, the debris resulting in civilian harm could have also originated from the air defense missile, leading to the classification of the civilian harm status of the incident as “contested.”