Dubai: One person has been killed and 11 injured at airports in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, as Iran launched attacks across the Middle East in response to a massive and ongoing attack against it by the US and Israel. Authorities in Abu Dhabi confirmed a drone targeting Zayed International Airport (AUH) was intercepted, leading to 'falling debris', killing one person and injuring seven. Dubai International Airport (DXB) - the world's busiest by passenger traffic - was damaged in an 'incident' that injured four staff, according to authorities.
According to Ghana Web, thousands of flights have been grounded to and from the region, marking one of the most serious disruptions to global travel since the Covid-19 pandemic. Retaliatory strikes from Iran continued on Sunday with explosions heard in Doha, Dubai, and Manama. Iran has used ballistic missiles and drones to launch wide-scale attacks on US allies and assets across the Gulf, following the killing of its supreme leader in the ongoing US-Israel air offensive launched on Saturday morning.
Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait - all home to US military bases - reported intercepting missiles fired towards them, although falling debris appeared to have caused widespread damage. In Dubai, debris from an 'aerial interception' caused a fire in a berth at the Jebel Ali deep sea port, the world's ninth busiest. In Bahrain, the interior ministry stated that the airport was damaged after being targeted by a drone, with unconfirmed reports of ongoing attacks on Sunday morning.
On Saturday, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed they had struck the headquarters of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, located in Bahrain's capital Manama, with large plumes of black smoke seen rising from an area near the base. Meanwhile, Oman's state news agency reported that the Duqm commercial port was targeted by two drones, injuring one worker.