Dramatic escalation in Middle East: Iran strikes Dubai's international airport

The conflict in the Middle East has widened beyond US bases. Overnight, Iranian retaliatory strikes reached deep into the Gulf, hitting Dubai International Airport and damaging one of the emirate's most recognisable landmarks.

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Dubai International is among the world's busiest travel hubs and serves as a critical gateway connecting Europe, Africa and the West to Asia.

Dubai's media office said early Sunday that four people were injured at Dubai International Airport after an incident caused minor damage to one of its concourses.

"Dubai Airports confirms that a concourse at Dubai International (DXB) sustained minor damage in an incident, which was quickly contained," the media office said. "Emergency response teams were immediately deployed and are managing the situation in coordination with the relevant authorities. Four staff sustained injuries and received prompt medical attention."

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The Dubai officer also confirmed that a drone was intercepted, and debris caused a minor fire on the Burj Al Arab's outer facade. The landmark, opened in 1999 on an artificial island off Jumeirah Beach, has long symbolised Dubai's global tourism ambitions.

On Saturday, a fire also broke out near another hotel on Palm Jumeirah, the city's man-made island development.

The strikes were not confined to Dubai. Abu Dhabi Airports initially posted on X that an incident at Zayed International Airport resulted in one fatality involving an Asian national and seven injuries. The post was later deleted.

Separately, the Dubai media office said one of the berths at Jebel Ali Port caught fire after debris from an aerial interception fell into the area.

Iran fired missiles at Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Doha - all major east-west aviation hubs - as regional tensions intensified following America and Israel's strikes on Iran early Saturday.

The conflict has disrupted flights across the Middle East and beyond. Countries including Israel, Qatar, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and Bahrain closed their airspace. The United Arab Emirates announced a "temporary and partial closure," and flight-tracking website FlightRadar24 showed virtually no flight activity over much of the region.

Operations at major hubs in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha were halted, and more than 1,000 flights were cancelled by major Middle Eastern airlines. Hundreds of thousands of travellers were stranded or diverted as key global air corridors were disrupted.