The Pentagon has released a trove of reports of historical UFO sightings that includes several videos of objects filmed in the UAE and across the Middle East.
The Defence Department on Friday published an initial tranche of documents, images and accounts related to so-called unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP). President Donald Trump ordered the release in February.
At least three of the dozens of files on the Defence Department’s website pertain to unusual sightings over waters off the UAE, including one from June 1, 2024 that was recorded by an infrared sensor aboard a US aircraft flying across the Gulf of Oman.
An accompanying mission report described the UAP as “consisting of an object with a vertical pole or bar attached to the bottom of the object.”
The object appears to be moving quickly over the water and is described as “resembling an inverted teardrop”. An observer reported that the UAP may be a reflection from an object in the water.
Other videos captured over UAE waters or elsewhere in the Middle East show military cameras tracking small, fast-moving objects zooming past ships, buildings or over the ocean. There is nothing that looks like a UFO in the sci-fi sense of the term and no evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence.
Some of the objects could potentially be hobby or commercial drones, such as the one seen in this image, taken from a video captured by a US aircraft over Iraq in 2022.
President Donald Trump said he ordered the release of the files to increase government transparency.
“Whereas previous administrations have failed to be transparent on this subject, with these new documents and videos, the people can decide for themselves,” he wrote on Truth Social. “Have Fun and Enjoy!
For decades, UFOs have been at the centre of theories, fuelled by alleged sightings, popular culture and government secrecy surrounding the issue.
From speculation about recovered spacecraft in the Nevada desert to claims of hidden military programmes studying extraterrestrial technology, the idea of concealed alien encounters has persisted in the public imagination.