Dubai under attack: Iran fires 137 missiles, 209 drones at UAE; Palm Jumeirah Hotel in flames, airport struck, Burj Al Arab hit

Dubai under attack: Iran fires 137 missiles, 209 drones at UAE; Palm Jumeirah Hotel in flames, airport struck, Burj Al Arab hit

Iran fires 137 missiles, 209 drones at UAE. Palm Jumeirah hotel ablaze, Burj Al Arab hit, Dubai airport struck. One dead in Abu Dhabi. Gulf paralysed.

Dubai, a city that built itself into the connective tissue of global travel, went dark on Saturday.

At 8:35 am local time, Dubai Airports issued a four-line statement: flight operations at Dubai International and Dubai World Central–Al Maktoum International had been “suspended until further notice.”

By afternoon, a hotel on Palm Jumeirah was on fire. By evening, the city was shut, a concourse at Dubai International had been damaged by an Iranian drone, port was up in flames, the Burj Khalifa evacuated, and the city that had spent decades selling itself as the world’s most stable address was telling its residents to stay away from windows.

In less than twelve hours, Iran had done what no adversary had managed in Dubai’s entire modern history — it had made the city feel unsafe.

The UAE Ministry of Defence confirmed that 137 Iranian ballistic missiles were detected, of which 132 were destroyed while five fell into the sea. Of the 209 Iranian drones tracked, 195 were intercepted, with 14 landing within the country’s land and waters causing some collateral damage

Dubai Attacked: All That Was Hit

The most dramatic strike was on Palm Jumeirah — the archipelago of artificial islands that defines Dubai. Photos and videos showed flames spreading across a luxury hotel in the centre of Palm Jumeirah. The Dubai media office confirmed the strike resulted in a fire with four people injured.

The attacks came in waves. Loud booms were heard across Abu Dhabi and Dubai throughout Saturday, according to five witnesses including two Reuters correspondents.

A separate fire broke out at Jebel Ali port after debris from an interceptor triggered a blaze.

Debris from an intercepted drone sparked a fire at the base of the Burj Al Arab. Videos of Burj Khalifa being attacked have been confirmed as fake.

Dubai Airports confirmed that a concourse at Dubai International sustained minor damage in an incident, which was quickly contained. Emergency response teams have been immediately deployed as thousands wait for operations to begin.

In Abu Dhabi, a Pakistani resident died after shrapnel fell on a residential area.

The UAE Ministry of Defence has said that its air defences destroyed 132 missiles launched toward the country and intercepted 195 Iranian drones during the day’s attacks.

Flight operations at Dubai International, the world’s busiest airport by international passenger traffic, and Dubai World Central Al Maktoum International were suspended until further notice.

Emirates, the world’s largest international airline, suspended all flight operations to and from Dubai, citing “multiple regional airspace closures.”

The human scenes inside the terminals told the story more vividly than any data. Alarms blared across terminals at Abu Dhabi International Airport, sending panicked passengers towards the exits. National Guard personnel swiftly moved in, taking control of the airport premises and advising remaining passengers to stay inside the building for their safety.