Moqtada al-Sadr, an Iraqi Shia Muslim leader, warned in a statement on Thursday that “terrorist criminals” had pulled Iraq into a “dangerous regional conflict” by targeting a “Gulf state.”

The cleric, who issued a post on Twitter, did not specify if he was referring to the thwarted drone assault on the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday.

The UAE says it intercepted three drones that entered its airspace over unpopulated areas, in an attack claimed by the “True Promise Brigade,” a little-known group.