A luxury hotel in Dubai was struck by an explosion Saturday as Iran launched retaliatory strikes across the Middle East, targeting multiple countries in response to a joint attack by the United States and Israel. The Fairmont The Palm Hotel on Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah was hit, with video footage showing a significant fire and thick black smoke rising from the building, according to the BBC.
Local officials in Dubai reported four people were injured in the blaze at the Palm Jumeirah area. Further incidents were reported at Dubai International Airport, where four people were wounded and the concourse sustained “minor damage,” the Dubai Media Office stated. The airport, a major transportation hub, did not elaborate on the nature of the “incident.”
The attacks extended beyond the United Arab Emirates, with Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait all reporting they intercepted missiles fired towards their territories. Qatar’s defense ministry indicated that several missiles targeting the al-Udeid air base, the largest US base in the region, were intercepted. Smoke plumes were observed near the headquarters of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Manama, Bahrain, though the extent of any damage remains unclear. The US military has not yet issued a comment.
Iran’s strikes follow a recent joint military operation by the US and Israel against Iranian targets. The Financial Express reported that the attacks signal the end of Gulf neutrality in the escalating conflict. The Times of Israel reported that one person was killed in the UAE as a result of the Iranian missile strikes, and that Iran targeted six Arab countries in total.
The attacks on multiple nations suggest a broad scope to Iran’s retaliation. Saudi Arabia was also reportedly targeted, with Riyadh condemning what it described as “brutal Iranian aggression.”
