Iran Bombs Dubai: 140 Missiles And 200 Drones Launched

• 1.03.2026, 10:58

The famous five-star hotels in the tourist quarter of Palm Jumeirah have been hit.

Nearly 140 missiles and more than 200 drones fired from Iran have been destroyed over the UAE overnight, the Emirates' Defense Ministry said. Tehran has targeted missiles along the Persian Gulf coast. On Sunday, loud explosions were heard in areas of Dubai, Manama and Doha for the second consecutive day after.

The UAE Ministry of Defense said most of the missiles and drones were intercepted, but at Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi, officials said at least one person was killed and seven injured in the "incident."

Iran's Shahed also attacked the five-star Burj al-Arab hotel-tower, known as the Sail, in Dubai. The building stands on an artificial island, is 321 meters high and has 60 floors.

At least four people were injured in an explosion at the five-star Fairmont The Palm hotel in Dubai.

Video footage taken on a cell phone and circulated on social media shows the building engulfed in flames near the Nakheel Mall.

BBC-confirmed footage taken from a building opposite shows the moment it hit the entrance to the Fairmont hotel. The man filming the video can be seen falling to the floor and moving away from the balcony while a large orange fireball erupts.

Palm Jumeirah, a residential neighborhood and hotel district, is a popular tourist destination. This artificial island, shaped like a palm tree, is one of Dubai's most recognizable projects.

Popular tourist areas such as Dubai Marina and JBR have seen moments of air defense systems intercepting missiles in Dubai's evening skies on at least a few occasions.

Earlier on Saturday, the UAE Defense Ministry announced that the country had been attacked by two waves of Iranian ballistic missiles, which were shot down by air defense systems.

In the morning, debris fell on a residential area of the capital Abu Dhabi, killing a Pakistani national, the defense ministry said in a statement.