Dubai officials temporarily suspended all flights at the city’s international airport Monday morning, as the United Arab Emirates was defending itself against a barrage of Iranian drone and missile strikes.
A drone fired by Iran caused a fire to erupt from a fuel tank in the vicinity of Dubai International Airport, the Dubai Media Office said in a statement, prompting civil defense teams to deploy to the site.
No injuries were reported, and the fire was brought under control, according to Dubai officials.
Due to the incident, the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority announced the temporary suspension of flights at the airport. Some flights en route were diverted to Al Maktoum International Airport, it said.
About three hours later, officials announced a gradual resumption of some flights was underway, though it was unclear when the airport would fully reopen.
Emirates was among carriers affected. Amid the resumption of services at the airport, it said it would be operating a “limited schedule.” Some flights scheduled for Monday were canceled, it said.
Air India announced that it was canceling all flights to and from Dubai for Monday.
The strike at the airport came as the UAE’s forces were responding to Iranian attacks.
It was unclear how many missiles and drones were fired by Iran and what sites inside the UAE were targeted. The UAE’s Ministry of Defense told residents that “air defenses are currently responding” to them.
“MOD asserts that the sounds heard are the result of the Air Defense Systems intercepting missiles and drones,” the ministry said in a statement.
The UAE is among U.S. allies in the Middle East that have come under Iranian attack since the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran on Feb. 28. Dubai International Airport has now been involved in three drone-related incidents during the conflict, including on the first day of the war when it sustained minor damage in an attack.
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Iranians attend a funeral for a person killed in recent U.S.-Israel airstrikes at Behesht-e Zahra cemetery on the southern outskirts of Tehran in Iran on March 9, 2026. Photo by Hossein Esmaeili/UPI | License Photo
