Iran Missile Strikes Hit Dubai Airport, Burj Al Arab, Palm Jumeirah

Dubai Airport, the world’s busiest airport in terms of international traffic, and Jebel Ali port were also damaged as unprecedented attacks hit some of the city’s major landmarks and revenue earners.

Two witnesses at the Palm, a luxury residential and entertainment development shaped like a palm tree, heard an explosion and saw smoke billowing from a five-star hotel.

The Dubai media office confirmed that an “incident” at a building on Palm Jumeirah caused a fire and injured four people.

Hours later, a second explosion occurred near the same building after what appeared to be a drone crashed from above, according to another eyewitness account.

The United Arab Emirates said 137 missiles and 209 drones were fired at its territory by Iran, most of which were intercepted by its defense systems.

The wreckage of a captured drone sparked a fire at the base of the Burj Al Arab, the sail-shaped building sometimes referred to as the world’s first seven-star hotel.

“Authorities confirmed that a drone was intercepted and debris caused a small fire on the exterior of the Burj Al Arab,” Dubai Media Office wrote to X.

“Civil Defense teams immediately intervened and brought the incident under control. There were no injuries.”

An AFP reporter saw a police car stationed at the entrance of the hotel, where pedestrians and vehicles were blocked off.

Four staff were injured at Dubai airport after the concourse sustained “minor damage”, the facility’s governing body said. The UAE had already closed its airspace, meaning most passengers had left the airport.

In Abu Dhabi, the UAE capital, the governing body said one person was killed and seven others were injured in an “incident” at Zayed International Airport.

Debris that fell during an intervention also sparked a fire in Dubai’s Jebel Ali port, which hosts US warships and is capable of carrying aircraft carriers.

“Dubai Civil Defense teams responded immediately and are continuing their efforts to completely extinguish the fire,” Dubai Media Office said on X.

Dubai airport and port account for about 60 percent of the emirate’s revenues, according to official estimates.

Nearly 90 percent of the UAE’s population is made up of foreigners, and Dubai is the country’s largest city with a carefully curated image of wealth and glamor.

In retaliation for the attacks of the USA and Israel, Iran launched an attack on all oil and natural gas-rich Gulf countries except Oman, which was mediating in the US-Iran talks.