Explosions Rock Dubai as burj al arab and Burj Al Arab Hit by Debris
The war launched by the US and Israel on Iran has quickly escalated, prompting anxiety across the region and sparking fires at high-profile Dubai sites including burj al arab. Debris from intercepted drones and missiles has set alight luxury hotels and affected airports as civilians shelter and authorities respond.
Fires at Fairmont The Palm
Residents watched in shock as an Iranian missile struck a five-star Fairmont hotel in Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah area, setting the hotel alight. Social media videos and photos showed fires breaking out near the entrance and large plumes of smoke rising outside the building. The hotel, described in context as a luxury property with gourmet dining, an award-winning spa and pools with city views, saw four people injured and taken to medical facilities; emergency teams said the blaze was under control.
Burj Al Arab Damage Report
Dubai authorities later said debris from an intercepted drone caused a fire at the city’s famous luxury hotel the Burj Al Arab and at Dubai’s international airport. The Dubai media office wrote: "Civil Defence teams responded immediately and brought the incident under control. No injuries have been reported. " The media office also said that part of Dubai’s international airport "sustained minor damage in an incident, " without giving further details.
Airport incidents and casualties
Abu Dhabi Airports said in a post that an incident at Zayed international airport in the UAE’s capital resulted in one fatality and seven injuries; that post was later deleted. Separately, the nation's defence ministry confirmed one person was killed by falling debris in a residential area after the UAE "successfully" intercepted Iranian missiles. In Kuwait, a drone crashed into the country’s main airport, wounding several employees and damaging the facility.
Wider regional retaliation
Within hours of the first US and Israeli strikes, Iran responded with a wide-ranging attack targeting more than six countries. In Bahrain an Iranian drone flew into a high-rise building, exploded and engulfed the skyscraper in flames, and earlier the country’s national security agency was struck by an Iranian missile. Social footage also appeared to show a missile hitting the huge US naval base in Bahrain. Bases belonging to the Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq were struck by either the US or Israel, killing at least two members of the armed Iraqi group Kataib Hezbollah.
Militant warnings and new operations
Iran-backed groups reacted to the strikes, with Kataib Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthis both warning they would join strikes on US military bases across the region. Washington had named the action Operation Epic Fury, and fighting expanded beyond the geographic scope of the previous war in Iran in June 2025, which had been almost entirely confined to Israel and Iran.
Local fear and disruption
Scenes of fear were widespread. At least three big blasts were heard over Dubai, and people were filmed running for shelter as air raid sirens sounded. One Dubai resident said "everyone is very scared" and added: "There is footage of missile interceptions all over the city. I am packing a suitcase just in case … not that we can leave, because airspace is closed. It is the thing we have all been frightened about happening, and now it has. " An Abu Dhabi resident messaged: "The kids are terrified" after explosions; a correspondent in Dubai described a second wave of missiles seen flying over a residential area of the city.
Around 240, 000 British citizens live in the UAE and have been advised to remain indoors or in a safe place and to stay away from windows. The UAE's airspace is currently closed as a precautionary measure, per the General Civil Aviation Authority. Across the region, citizens reacted by stocking up: in Lebanon gas stations had queues 10 cars deep within an hour of the strikes, commercial flights at Beirut airport were cancelled, and grocery stores filled with people buying essentials, the memory of the 2024 war with Israel still fresh.
As the situation develops, authorities continue emergency response efforts at hotels, airports and residential areas while multiple governments and armed groups issue further warnings and threats.
