Burj Al Arab Hotel Hit, Dubai Airport Closed, and US Navy 5th Fleet Bahrain Base Under Attack as Iran Bombs UAE
The UAE is under fire. Iranian missiles and drones have struck the Burj Al Arab hotel, ignited a massive blaze at the Fairmont Palm Dubai, damaged Dubai International Airport, and targeted the US Navy 5th Fleet headquarters at the Bahrain naval base — all within a 72-hour barrage that has shattered the Gulf's image as the world's safest travel corridor. As of Tuesday, March 3, 2026 ET, the situation across the UAE, Bahrain, and Riyadh Saudi Arabia remains critical.
Burj Al Arab Hotel and Fairmont Palm Dubai Hit in Iranian Drone Wave
Debris from an intercepted drone struck the Burj Al Arab on Saturday night, igniting a fire on the outer facade of Dubai's most iconic hotel. Earlier that same day, an Iranian Shahed drone caused a large explosion and fire at Fairmont The Palm on Palm Jumeirah.
Social media videos and photos showed a fire outside the Fairmont hotel on the prestigious man-made Palm Jumeirah island, flames licking at the facade of the famous Burj Al Arab hotel, and smoke rising into the sky near the Burj Khalifa, the 2,723-foot skyscraper. The Burj Khalifa was evacuated earlier in the evening as air defense systems remained fully engaged across the city.
The UAE's Ministry of Defense said Iran had fired 165 ballistic missiles, two cruise missiles, and 541 drones. Most were destroyed, but 21 drones hit civilian targets. Three people were killed — migrant workers from Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh.
Dubai International Airport Damaged, Closed for Third Consecutive Day
Dubai International Airport — the world's busiest international hub — was closed for the third consecutive day Monday, although it was expected to reopen in the evening. The Dubai Media Office confirmed the airport had been damaged and four employees were injured. There was also a fire at Dubai's Jebel Ali Port, the city's main sea terminal and a major shipping hub.
A concourse at Dubai International Airport sustained minor damage, and Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi was also hit, resulting in one fatality and seven injuries. All flights at Dubai International, Al Maktoum International, Abu Dhabi's Zayed International, and Sharjah Airport remained suspended.
Tourists across the Middle East found themselves stranded, with hundreds of thousands of travelers unable to depart as airlines grounded flights across the region. One American traveler told a major US news outlet she had seen and heard rockets intercepted outside her hotel window, calling it terrifying.
US Navy 5th Fleet Bahrain Naval Base Attacked: NSA Bahrain Evacuated
Hours after Iranian drones damaged US Navy facilities in Manama, Bahrain, US Navy Central Command told all servicemembers and contractors who live and work in and around the base that the area is no longer safe and they would receive funds to stay in a hotel elsewhere. The email was titled "evacuation of Juffair" — the neighborhood in southern Manama that is home to Naval Support Activity Bahrain.
Bahrain hosts US Naval Forces Central Command headquarters and the US Navy's 5th Fleet, with about 8,300 sailors stationed there. The base also hosts the Combined Maritime Forces, a multinational coalition of 47 countries tasked with countering illegal drug and weapons smuggling in the Persian Gulf and Red Sea.
Videos posted on social media purport to show a drone nearing the Navy's 5th Fleet headquarters building, striking a radar inside a large white bubble, with plumes of dark gray smoke billowing from the explosion. The Bahrain Defense Force said it had shot down 45 incoming missiles and nine drones.
Bahrain Country Under Siege: Residential Buildings and Crowne Plaza Hit
Missile and drone attacks continued for hours at the headquarters of the US Navy's 5th Fleet in Bahrain. Casualties are possible in Bahrain. A drone slammed into the top floors of a residential tower in the Hoora neighborhood, about a 15-minute drive from the US naval installation. The Crowne Plaza Hotel in Manama was hit in a Sunday morning attack.
Bahrain's government called the strike a "treacherous attack" and a "blatant violation of the kingdom's sovereignty and security." The Interior Ministry confirmed that civil defense was engaged in firefighting and rescue operations at multiple affected sites across the capital.
Iranian missiles targeted the headquarters of the US Navy's 5th Fleet in Bahrain's Juffair area. Bahrain's Ministry of Interior also confirmed the country's international airport was targeted with a drone, resulting in material damage without loss of life.
Is Dubai Under Attack: Iran's Operation True Promise 4 Explained
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced the launch of "Operation True Promise 4," describing it as retaliation for what it termed American-Zionist aggression against Iranian territory. An Iranian official declared that all US bases and interests are within reach.
Iran's semi-official news agency reported that four US military bases in the region were targeted by multiple Iranian ballistic missile attacks: Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, Al Dhafra Air Base in the UAE, and the US naval base in Bahrain.
UAE Shuts Embassy in Tehran, Riyadh and Gulf Capitals Reel
The UAE closed its airspace, shuttered its embassy in Tehran on Sunday, and withdrew its diplomats because of the attacks. "This decision reflects its firm and unwavering position against any aggression that threatens its security and sovereignty," the Foreign Ministry said.
"This is Dubai's ultimate nightmare, as its very essence depended on being a safe oasis in a troubled region," wrote one Gulf analyst at the European Council on Foreign Relations. The UAE had for years sold itself to the world as a sunny, safe, tax-free destination — an image that has now been fundamentally shattered. With the US Navy 5th Fleet Bahrain base evacuated, the Burj Al Arab hotel scarred, the Fairmont Palm Dubai still smoldering, and Dubai airport only beginning to reopen, the Gulf region faces its gravest security crisis in a generation.
