Qatar Denies Its Military Planes Intercepted UAE Civilian Aircraft


Qatar Denies Its Military Planes Intercepted UAE Civilian Aircraft

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Qatar denied on Monday that its military planes had intercepted a civilian aircraft from the United Arab Emirates the day before, state news agency QNA reported, saying a UAE military plane had violated its air space at the time.

The UAE had said a plane carrying 86 passengers to Bahrain was approached by the Qatari aircraft, forcing its pilot to take evasive maneuvers to avoid a collision.

Quoted by the state news agency, the Qatari civil aviation authority said its military planes were on a routine flight when a UAE military aircraft entered its airspace without permission in the same area as the UAE civilian plane.

“The United Arab Emirates has unfortunately been manipulating the facts to inflame and mislead the international community. The latest statement is proof of this”, it said, Reuters reported.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) cut their diplomatic ties with Qatar on June 5, accusing it of sponsoring “terrorism” and destabilizing the region. The Saudi-led bloc has also imposed sanctions against the country, including restrictions on Qatari aircraft using their airspace. Doha rejects the claims, saying the boycotters are attacking its sovereignty.

Later in June, the four Arab countries urged Qatar to abide by a 13-point list of demands if it wanted the blockade lifted. The demands included shutting down the Doha-based Al Jazeera broadcaster, scaling back cooperation with Iran, closing the Turkish military base in Qatar, and paying an unspecified sum in reparations.

Qatar, however, firmly refused to comply, calling the wide-ranging demands “unrealistic, unreasonable and unacceptable.” In return, the four feuding countries vowed to impose further sanctions on Doha.

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