Four injured after Dubai International Airport hit by Iranian missile strike
Four people have been injured after a missile hit Dubai International Airport while one person has been killed at Abu Dhabi airport.
The Dubai media office said on Saturday the airport sustained damage due to an ‘incident’, as Iran continued to launch strikes on U.S. bases in the region.
They said: ‘Dubai Airports confirms that a concourse at Dubai International (DXB) sustained minor damage in an incident, which was quickly contained.’
One person has also been killed at Abu Dhabi airport and seven others injured as strikes targeted the rest of the United Arab Emirates.
The country, along with the rest of the Middle East, has been bombarded with missile strikes as Iran retaliates against the US-Israel’s ‘Operation Epic Fury’.
The two countries launched ‘preemptive’ missile attacks in Tehran, reportedly killing the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
UK flights to the Middle East have been cancelled, while airports in Dubai and Doha have halted all services until further notice.
On Saturday, the UK Foreign Office warned Brits in Dubai that they should ‘immediately shelter in place’.
Other buildings in Dubai have been struck, including the iconic Palm Jumeirah resort which was hit by falling debris.
Smoke and flames were seen billowing from near the beachside Fairmont The Palm Hotel, after several bangs were heard by holidaymakers across the Emirati city.
Footage of the incident showed the five-star £245 million ($330 million) hotel engulfed in flames as air defence systems intercepted several Iranian missiles.
The Burj Al Arab, hailed as Dubai’s most-iconic hotel, was also in flames after being hit in the drone strike.
The 60-storey five-star hotel, which stands on an artificial island close to Jumeirah Beach, which is the sixth-tallest hotel in the world at 321 metres high, was on fire after it was hit by fragments from an Iranian drone which had been intercepted.
A statement from Dubai’s Media Office read: ‘The competent authorities in Dubai announced that a drone was intercepted, and its fragments caused a small fire on the exterior facade of the Burj Al Arab hotel. Civil defense teams were able to control the incident without any injuries.’
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said in a joint statement with the leaders of France and Germany that Iran must ‘refrain from indiscriminate military strikes’.
Iran’s foreign ministry has said the missile strikes have been ordered in self-defence.
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