Smoke was seen rising near the Burj Khalifa on Friday after blasts were reported in central Dubai.
In a post on X, the Dubai Government Media Office confirmed that a minor incident had occurred after debris from a successful air-defence interception struck the façade of a building in central Dubai. Authorities said no injuries were reported.
“Authorities confirm that debris from a successful interception caused a minor incident on the façade of a building in central Dubai. No injuries have been reported,” Dubai govt said in the post.
These incidents come after Iran warned all citizens of Gulf countries, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain, to avoid banks, financial institutions, economic centres, and US-linked businesses to stay away or avoid visiting them after the US-Israeli strike on Bank Sepah in Tehran reportedly killed several employees.
Earlier incident
The development came a day after another explosion was reported near the Burj Khalifa on Thursday, when a blast was heard in a residential area along Sheikh Zayed Road. Officials later said the incident involved a drone that fell onto the side of a building, again confirming that no casualties were recorded.
These incidents come after Iran warned all citizens of Gulf countries to avoid banks, financial institutions, economic centres, and US-linked businesses to stay away or avoid visiting them after the US/Israel targeted its financial institution and killed bank employees in Tehran.
These incidents come amid rising tensions across the Gulf region following the outbreak of the Iran-Israel-US conflict. According to reports, at least 24 people have been killed across the region so far, including seven US service members and 11 civilians. Iran has reportedly carried out several retaliatory attacks on neighbouring countries since early March 2026, warning that it would target any state from whose territory strikes against Iran were launched or where US military bases were involved.
Between March 10 and 11, Iranian drone strikes were said to have hit multiple targets in neighbouring countries. Tehran later indicated it would halt such attacks if regional governments ensured their territory would not be used for further operations against Iran.
West Asia war
The Iran-Israel-US War began on February 28, when Israel and the United States allegedly carried out a joint strike on Iran that killed several senior officials. Iran subsequently launched missile and air strikes on US military installations across Iraq, Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, as well as on defence systems it accused of supporting the operation.
Now in its second week, the war has caused widespread destruction across West Asia, with more than 2,000 casualties reported. Iranian state media say the country has suffered heavy losses, including over 1,300 civilian deaths, as well as damage to thousands of residential buildings and dozens of medical facilities.
