The United Arab Emirates said on Monday Qatari air force jets had twice intercepted civilian Emirati aircraft during routine flights to Bahrain, state news agency WAM reported, amid a months-old feud between the Gulf Arab states. Qatar denied as "completely untrue" the initial interception report, but did not immediately comment on the second. Qatar's rivals banned Qatari aircraft from their air space though Doha did not reciprocate with a ban of its own. The UAE Civil Aviation Authority said the two Emirati airliners encountered the jets from Qatar, which lies between the UAE and Bahrain, while en route to Bahrain. Qatari authorities said the violation on Dec. 21, which the UAE denied, lasted one minute.

Source: dna January 15, 2018 13:41 UTC