Dubai International Airport was temporarily closed on Saturday morning after a suspected Iranian drone interception triggered a large explosion close to the complex, forcing passengers off planes and halting flights.
Explosions were reported near the airport at about 8 am local time (4am GMT), with flames and thick smoke seen rising near the site.
Footage circulating online appeared to show a projectile heading toward the airport moments before a powerful blast.
In the video, a man filming the sky can be heard shouting: “It’s coming, it’s coming to the airport,” before the explosion erupts and smoke billows into the air.
Authorities in Dubai said there had been “no incident” at the airport itself but confirmed that air defences had successfully intercepted a drone and that no injuries had been reported.
Passengers already seated on aircraft preparing to depart were ordered to disembark while terminals were evacuated.
Emergency alerts were also sent to mobile phones as a precaution, the first such measures reported since the current regional conflict began.
Damage believed to have been caused by falling debris from the intercepted drone was visible near a passenger walkway at Terminal 3, the main hub for Emirates airline and a small fire broke out in the area which was quickly contained.
Flights were suspended at around 10 am local time (6am GMT), while police vehicles blocked access roads to the airport, causing heavy traffic disruption.
Emirates, the Middle East’s largest airline, later announced it was suspending all flights to and from Dubai until further notice following the aerial interception.
READ ALSO: Pflugerville Declares Water Emergency as Lake Levels Plunge
“Please do not go to the airport,” the airline said in a message posted on X.
The incident comes amid a surge of retaliatory strikes launched by Iran across the Middle East, with drones and missiles reported in Iraq, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Israel.
Officials in Qatar said nine out of ten drones fired toward the country were intercepted, with the remaining drone landing in an uninhabited area, adding that no injuries were reported.
Saudi authorities also confirmed that four drones targeting the Shaybah oil field were intercepted and destroyed over the Empty Quarter desert.
In Iraq, drones struck oil facilities while US-led forces reportedly shot down several others near the Kurdish city of Erbil amid warnings of possible attacks on civilian sites.
A network of Iranian-backed Shia militias calling itself the Islamic Resistance in Iraq said it had targeted a US military base near Baghdad airport.
The group claimed the attack was carried out in retaliation for the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, who was reportedly killed last week.
Meanwhile, Israel and Iran continued to exchange fire overnight as the conflict entered its eighth day.
The Israeli military said it had carried out fresh strikes on what it described as “terror targets” in Beirut’s Dahiyeh district.
Iranian media also reported that a new wave of missiles had been launched toward Israel, while airstrikes early on Saturday hit Tehran’s Mehrabad International Airport, sending flames and smoke rising above the capital.
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer insisted the UK “stood ready” to defend its allies as tensions across the region intensified.