Dubai airport, one of the world's busiest, announced on Saturday the temporary suspension of all its operations after an interception over the transport hub, with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) saying it was facing an attack from Iran, AFP and Agerpres report.
“For the safety of passengers, airport staff and airline crews, operations at Dubai International Airport (DXB) have been temporarily suspended,” the Dubai Press Office said on Platform X.
An interception took place over Dubai airport on Saturday morning, according to a witness who described to AFP a loud explosion, followed by a cloud of smoke in the sky.
Earlier on Saturday, the Dubai government had confirmed on X “a minor incident resulting from falling debris after an interception”, while denying “information circulating on social media regarding incidents at Dubai International Airport”.
Flight tracking website Flightradar24 showed planes circling above the airport, apparently in a holding circuit.
Flights partially resumed at Dubai's main airport on Monday, despite daily drone attacks targeting targets in the UAE.
Emirates, the largest airline in the Middle East, also announced the suspension of all its flights to and from Dubai until further notice.
“We advise you not to go to the airport!” the company said in a statement on X.
“Air defenses in the UAE are currently dealing with missile and drone threats originating from Iran,” according to the UAE Ministry of Defense, which did not specify the targets of the attacks.
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