Passengers rushed to evacuate one of the world's busiest airports on Sunday after a reported Iranian strike, as Tehran targeted travel hubs in US-friendly Gulf states typically regarded as safe, luxury destinations.
Dramatic footage shows people fleeing a smoke-filled passageway strewn with furniture and debris at Dubai International Airport, where officials confirmed four staff had been injured.
Hours later, an explosion near the airport sent a thick plume of black smoke into the air – part of a fresh wave of Iranian strikes across the Middle East on Sunday following the death of Iran's supreme leader in US-Israeli strikes.
The weekend attacks have caused travel chaos worldwide as airlines cancel flights through key Middle Eastern hubs that have become the target of Iranian retaliation for hosting US military bases.
CNN teams reported blasts in several capitals and major cities on Sunday, including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha and Bahrain's Manama.
A wide corridor of airspace over the Middle East was closed this weekend while neighboring countries restricted flights.
Strikes on Dubai
Dubai is the biggest tourism and trade hub in the Middle East. Its airport is one of the world's busiest, serving as a home base for Emirates.
The leading international airline has temporarily suspended all flights to and from Dubai until 3 p.m. local time on Monday.
UAE airports have established themselves as key nodes for connecting flights all over the world. Last year, Dubai and Abu Dhabi's hubs handled a combined 127.7 million passengers, according to official figures.
After the first incident at Dubai International Airport early Sunday, video verified by CNN shows a passenger in a blood-spattered shirt pressing a tissue to his head while others hurry along a travelator, while a voice is heard saying "go home, don't stay here."
A concourse at the airport sustained "minor damage" and emergency response teams were "immediately deployed" in Sunday's evacuation, Dubai Airports told CNN. Four staff were injured.
Passengers at the airport said they'd been given vouchers for hotels for what could be a long wait in Dubai. India's double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu was among those caught up in the airport chaos as she tried to make her way to the All England Open Badminton Championship in the UK.
"My coach had to quickly run out of the area as he was closest to the smoke and debris. It was an extremely tense and scary moment for all of us," she said on X.
In Dubai's ritzy Palm Jumeirah district – a global symbol of the emirate's opulence and serenity – an explosion hit the Fairmont Hotel, leaving it in flames shortly after videos, verified by CNN, showed the moment a drone appeared to dive toward the ground.
By evening, police had sealed off the area as crews swept shattered glass from the street. Part of the building's facade was blackened and visibly damaged.
Derek Thompson, a Scottish tourist staying at the hotel, said he and his family were eating dinner around 6:30 p.m. Saturday when they heard what he described as an enormous explosion.
"It was an absolutely crazy explosion, and we just ran for cover," he said. "We thought another one was coming, so we went to the beach to get away from the buildings, which we thought could collapse."
After returning to their room and smelling smoke, the family packed and checked out early. With the airspace closed, leaving the country was no longer an option.
Thompson said he had followed tensions in the region but never imagined Dubai would be directly hit. His wife, Victoria, a frequent visitor to the city, described the experience as terrifying and said she is now unsure when she would feel comfortable returning.
Will Bailey, from the UK, was relaxing at a nearby beach club when he saw missiles being intercepted overhead.
"Oh my days, over the beach club. Literally directly above us… they were so loud" he said on Instagram in a poolside video capturing a plume of smoke overhead.
Elsewhere in the UAE, a drone strike at Abu Dhabi's Zayed International Airport – another key international gateway – killed one person and injured seven, the airport said in a statement on social media.
Ghost town on a weekend
Dubai was almost unrecognizable on Sunday.
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On a winter weekend – peak tourist season – the city's beaches, malls and hotel brunches would normally be full. Instead, highways were largely empty and the sky was clear of the constant stream of arriving and departing aircraft.
For many residents, it felt like a return to the Covid-19 lockdowns six years ago, when one of the world's busiest transit hubs abruptly fell silent. Schools shifted online and families stayed indoors.
"We feel like it's Covid days. Quiet, sunny, birds chirping and no sounds of traffic or planes flying," said Paul Devitt, a CNN videographer in Abu Dhabi.
Some residents made quick trips to supermarkets to stock up. Grocery delivery apps reported delays as demand surged. In neighborhoods that are usually crowded well into the evening, streets were empty.
With the UAE's airspace closed, some people drove to quieter parts of the country. In Hatta, near the Omani border, at least one hotel turned a conference room into a makeshift shelter for tourists who had checked out but were unable to fly home. Some newly arrived guests said they were moving their families away from parts of Dubai that had come under attack.
Others crossed into Oman by road, at least initially the only country in the region untouched by Saturday's Iranian strikes. On Sunday, however, Omani authorities said two drones had targeted a port there.
Dubai, a city that prides itself on safety and stability, has no public bomb shelters. Many residents instead spent the night in underground parking garages. Parents shielded anxious children from the reality of the explosions overhead.
Several told their young sons and daughters that the blasts were Ramadan fireworks or cannons, traditionally fired at iftar time in Muslim countries.
"We have told our six-year-old that it's Ramadan firework celebrations as they are exploding so close over our heads," said Devitt. "When there are really big ones she giggles and says 'Ooh that was a good one,' as I run outside with my camera to try and capture the smoke trails."
Attacks on other Gulf states
Qatar and Bahrain also came under attack, piercing the kingdoms' polished image as luxurious havens in an unstable region.
Varun Krishnan described "long lines" overnight into Sunday at Qatar's Doha airport, with families, children and elderly people among those affected by the airspace closure.
"Chaos at Doha airport when we were asked to wait for buses to hotels," he said on X, sharing video of a packed terminal.
In Qatar, missiles were intercepted over the capital, while officials at Bahrain International Airport said a drone strike has damaged the facility.
Bahrain's interior ministry said the strike resulted in "material damage without loss of life," adding that authorities were securing the site.
Videos geolocated and verified by CNN show a large fire at a residential high-rise building in Bahrain's capital Manama on Saturday and smoke rising from the vicinity of the Crowne Plaza hotel in the city on Sunday.
Flight disruption
Dubai Airports confirmed that all flights in and out of the city's two main airports have been suspended until further notice.
"Passengers are advised not to travel to the airport at this time and to contact their respective airlines directly for the latest updates regarding their flights," the Dubai Media Office said.
Etihad Airways suspended all flights to and from Abu Dhabi until Monday morning due to regional airspace closures.
Qatar Airways said flights remain temporarily suspended and an update will be provided by 9 a.m. Monday while Singapore Airlines has cancelled its Singapore-Dubai service until March 7.
Virgin Atlantic canceled its flight from London Heathrow to Dubai on Saturday, as "a precautionary measure" and said it is temporarily avoiding Iraqi airspace.
Lufthansa confirmed cancellations of flights to and from Tel Aviv, Israel, citing the safety of passengers and crew members.
British Airways said it was cancelling flights to and from Tel Aviv and Bahrain for several days.
Karina Tsui and Eleni Giokos contributed to this report.
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Passengers rushed to evacuate one of the world's busiest airports on Sunday after a reported Iranian strike, as Tehra...
