Drone strike sparks fire on perimeter of UAE’s Barakah nuclear power plant

Authorities say radiation levels remain normal, operations not affected.A drone strike has sparked a fire on the perimeter of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), raising new concerns over a potential new regional escalation amid a fragile ceasefire between Iran and the United States.Authorities in Abu Dhabi said the blaze broke out at an electrical generator outside the plant’s inner perimeter in the Al Dhafra region on Sunday. No injuries were reported, and officials said radiation levels remained normal.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Two Nepali Sherpa climbers break own records on Mount Everestlist 2 of 4Republican Senator Cassidy loses Louisiana primary after opposing Trumplist 3 of 4Israel comes second at Eurovision amid boycotts and backlashlist 4 of 4WHO declares Ebola outbreak in DRC a global health emergencyend of listThe UAE’s nuclear regulator said operations at the facility – the first nuclear power station on the Arabian Peninsula – were not affected. “All units are operating as normal,” it said in a social media post.There was no immediate claim of responsibility, and the UAE has not publicly blamed any country.In a statement later on Sunday, the ⁠UAE’s ⁠Defense Ministry said air defences had dealt “successfully” ⁠with two drones, while ⁠a third one hit a generator ⁠near the plant.⁠It added the drones ⁠were launched from the “western border”, without providing details, and said ⁠investigations were under way to determine the ⁠source of the attack.‘Grave concern’The UAE has faced repeated ⁠Iranian missile and drone attacks since the US and Israel began attacking Iran on February 28.The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said the incident forced one reactor to rely temporarily on emergency diesel generators.IAEA chief Rafael Grossi expressed “grave concern” and warned that military activity threatening nuclear facilities was “unacceptable”.