The UAE air force engaged a drone over its territorial waters that had come from Iran, the defence ministry said in a statement on Monday.
It did not provide further details on the drone, including whether it was shot down or its intended target.
The UAE foreign ministry later strongly condemned the Iranian drone attack as “a dangerous escalation that represents a flagrant violation of the state’s sovereignty, security and stability.”
It said the UAE reserved its full right to respond and called for an immediate halt to the attacks.
(Reporting by Muhammad Al Gebaly, Eman Abouhassira and Menna Alaa El-Din, Editing by Alison Williams, Alexandra Hudson)