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UAE Military Says Jets to Alter Routes Over S Arabia To Avoid Qatari Warplanes

A military official in the United Arab Emirates stated that its forces had orders not to escalate diplomatic crisis with Qatar.
Sputnik

According to Air Force Brigadier General Helal Saeed al-Qubaisi, UAE military aircrafts will fly alternative routes over Saudi Arabia to avoid the possibility of interception by Qatar planes.

Since the beginning of the year Qatar several times accused the UAE of violating the country's airspace.

Earlier, the Qatari news agency reported that on January 3 the UAE military aircraft entered into the airspace of the state without permission. The Qatari side scrambled fighter jets in response. The UAE aircraft then headed to Bahrain.

READ MORE: UAE to Give Measured Response to Qatar for Alleged Interception of Planes

On December 21 last year, UAE military aircraft also flew over the exclusive economic zone of Qatar for one minute. Doha sent complaints to the UN over this event.

In June 2017, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt announced a break in diplomatic relations with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism and undermining regional security.

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