On May 17, 2026, a drone attack hit a generator at the Barakah nuclear power plant in Abu Dhabi, UAE, causing a fire on the plant’s perimeter but no casualties, authorities said [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]. The nuclear plant’s key systems and reactors continued normal operations with radiation levels remaining within safe limits [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7].

The UAE Defense Ministry reported that three drones entered UAE airspace from the western border, with two intercepted by air defenses. One drone reached the Barakah site and struck the generator [1, 8, 3, 4].

The Barakah plant, the UAE’s first and the Arab world’s first commercial nuclear facility, began operation in 2020. By 2024, its installed capacity reached 5,600 megawatts, supplying about one quarter of the country’s electricity demand [1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7].

The UAE government accused Iran and its proxy groups of being behind the attack, warning it reserves the right to respond to terrorism [3, 9, 4, 8]. Advisor to the UAE president Gargash called the attack a dangerous escalation that violates international law and endangers civilians [3].

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi condemned the attack, stressing nuclear facilities must not be military targets. He said if the reactors were directly hit, radioactive release could pose serious public safety threats. Grossi confirmed contact with UAE officials and readiness to assist with nuclear safety [10, 11, 6, 7]. "This means that the reactor no longer needs to rely on emergency diesel generators for power," Grossi said, adding that "nuclear facilities and other sites critical to nuclear safety must never be military targets" [10].

The UAE’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister communicated with the IAEA leadership, with the agency committing to monitoring the situation and providing safety support [11].

Near the Barakah plant is the Al Dhafra Air Base, hosting US and French forces, which has also faced multiple attacks attributed to Iran recently [6]. On May 18, the UAE Defense Ministry announced it intercepted six hostile drones in 48 hours, including the one that caused the fire at Barakah [8].

On May 20, the UAE Foreign Ministry formally demanded Iraq stop all hostile actions from its territory, accusing it as the source of the drone attack [8, 9].