Explosion at Dubai landmark The Palm, as Iran launched strikes across the Gulf
A fire had also broken out at luxury hotel Burj Al Arab after debris fell from an intercepted drone.
· CNA · JoinRead a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
DUBAI: There was an explosion and a plume of smoke at Dubai's famed man-made island The Palm, on Saturday (Feb 28), as authorities reported four injured.
The attack came as Iran carried out retaliatory strikes in the oil-rich Gulf following US and Israeli attacks - rattling a region long seen as a haven of peace and security.
The incident targeting a Dubai landmark shocked residents and was followed by several bangs heard by Dubai residents and AFP correspondents in the city.
Roughly 90 per cent of the UAE's population consists of foreigners, and Dubai is its most populous city, long associated with opulence and glamour.
Iran launched strikes on all the oil-rich Gulf countries except for Oman, a mediator in the US-Iran talks.
SMOKE POURED FROM US BASES
Missiles streaked across the sky around the Gulf, many of them intercepted. But smoke poured from US bases in the UAE and Bahrain, home of the American Navy's Fifth Fleet.
Falling debris killed a Pakistani civilian in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates capital, authorities said. Dozens of loud, window-rattling bangs echoed over Gulf cities throughout the day, the second Saturday of the holy month of Ramadan.
"The sound of the first explosion terrified me," said a 50-year-old retiree living near the US base in the Juffair area of Manama, Bahrain's capital, where residents were quickly evacuated.
Dubai's Burj Al Arab was also affected.
In a statement on Sunday, Dubai authorities said debris from an intercepted drone caused a fire at the city's famed luxury hotel.
"Authorities confirm that a drone was intercepted and debris caused a minor fire on the Burj Al Arab's outer facade," the Dubai Media Office wrote on its X account.
"Civil Defence teams responded immediately and brought the incident under control. No injuries have been reported."
The UAE and Saudi Arabia both warned they retained the right to respond to the attacks, which Riyadh called "unjustified aggression".
The oil-and-gas-rich Arab monarchies, lying just across the Gulf from Iran, are long-term American allies and host a clutch of US military bases.
However, they also maintain ties with Tehran. The UAE and Saudi Arabia were attacked despite pledging not to let US forces use their territory for operations against Iran.
Conflict is unusual in the Gulf, which has traded on its reputation for stability to become the Middle East's commercial and diplomatic hub.
QATAR HOSTS REGION'S BIGGEST US BASE
The unprecedented barrage heavily targeted Qatar, host of the region's biggest US military base, as well as Riyadh, eastern Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
The UAE, Qatar and Kuwait all announced that their airspace was closed.
Military activity was visible around the Gulf. An AFP journalist in Qatar saw one missile destroyed in a puff of white smoke, while another in Dubai saw a volley of Patriot interceptors taking off.
Four people were wounded in the incident on the Palm, Dubai's media office said, while loud explosions were heard in the city - home of the world's tallest building - throughout the day and evening.
Doha also shook under several volleys of missiles. Qatar's defence ministry said it had "repelled a number of attacks", while authorities said they were suspending maritime transport.
Al Udeid base in Qatar houses CENTCOM, the region's American military command, as well as its air and special operations forces.
Iran fired missiles at Al Udeid last June after US strikes targeted Iranian nuclear facilities during a brief war with Israel.
"DANGEROUS ESCALATION"
The UAE condemned the attacks as a "dangerous escalation" and said it intercepted several missiles.
"The United Arab Emirates was subjected today to a blatant attack by Iranian ballistic missiles," the UAE defence ministry said, adding its "air defences responded with high efficiency".
Abu Dhabi also hosts US forces at the Al Dhafra base, where two witnesses told AFP they saw smoke rising from the facility.
In Kuwait, an Iranian missile attack caused "significant damage" to the runway at an air base hosting Italian air force personnel, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani was quoted by the ANSA news agency as saying.
A drone also struck Kuwait's international airport on Saturday, the civil aviation authority said, causing minor injuries to several employees.
Saudi Arabia confirmed that Iran targeted the capital Riyadh and its eastern region with strikes.
"The Kingdom affirms that it will take all necessary measures to defend its security and protect its territory, citizens and residents, including with the option of responding to the aggression," a Saudi foreign ministry statement said.
For many residents in the Gulf, which has drawn a cosmopolitan, largely expat population, the reaction was one of shock.
"I heard the explosions, I don't know what I felt," a Lebanese woman living in Riyadh told AFP.
"We came to the Gulf because it's known to be safer than Lebanon. Now I don't know what to do or how to think really."
Sign up for our newsletters
Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox
Get the CNA app
Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories
Get WhatsApp alerts
Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app