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On January 15, the UAE claimed that Qatari fighter jets had intercepted its civilian plane en route to Bahrain describing the move as a contravention of international law.
The UAE said that it will take take all necessary measures to protect its civilian aircraft. The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority said that the incident was “a flagrant and dangerous threat to the safety of civil aviation, as well as a blatant violation of international laws and agreements.”
However, a spokesperson for the Qatari Foreign Ministry denied the report in an interview with Al Jazeera TV.
The reports is another indication of the growing tensions between Qatar and the Saudi-led bloc. In June 2017, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the UAE accused Qatar of being a state-sponsor of extremist groups and imposed economic sanctions on the country.
