A military official in the United Arab Emirates said on Tuesday its forces had instructions not to escalate an ongoing diplomatic crisis with Qatar.

UAE military aircrafts would also fly alternative routes over Saudi Arabia to avoid the possibility of interception by Qatari warplanes, air force brigadier general Helal Saeed al-Qubaisi told reporters at a news conference in the capital Abu Dhabi.

The UAE said on Monday that Qatari warplanes had twice intercepted its civilian aircraft during routine flights to Bahrain, but Qatar called the claim “completely untrue”.

The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the four Arab countries combating terrorism and boycotting Qatar; Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE and Bahrain, held a consultative meeting on Monday to discuss their course of action in light of Qatar’s activities.

The Qatari fighter jet intercepted two civil aircrafts en route to Bahrain International Airport while on their regular daily routes.

source: Alarabiya