The war in the Middle East continues to spill over into the Persian Gulf region. On Thursday (12th) early morning, a high-rise residential building at Dubai's iconic Creek Harbour was reportedly struck by a drone, sparking a fire. The crash left a huge hole in the building's exterior wall. Fortunately, no casualties were reported.
According to foreign media reports, the incident happened at around 2:45 a.m., when a drone suddenly crashed into Tower 2 of Address Hotel at Creek Harbour. Eyewitness residents stated that following the impact, a fire immediately erupted on the upper floors, lighting up the scene with blazing flames. Online footage, verified by foreign media, shows a conspicuous hole in the high-rise's exterior wall with fierce flames pouring from inside.
The local civil defense force quickly responded, dispatching around 40 fire trucks and police vehicles to the scene, while police boats stood by in nearby waters. The blaze was extinguished shortly after, and residents inside the building were evacuated. No injuries were reported in the incident.
Although the sudden event shocked many foreign residents, some praised the authorities’ swift response and stated they currently have no plans to leave Dubai.
The Dubai Media Office indicated that the drone involved is believed to have originated from Iran. UAE officials criticized Iran's previous claims that their attacks “only targeted US military facilities,” calling the statement inconsistent with the facts and pointing out that the actions have, in fact, affected civilian infrastructure.
In fact, this is the second consecutive day that Dubai has experienced a drone crash. On Wednesday night (11th), a similar incident occurred near Dubai International Airport, injuring four people, though airport operations were not impacted.
Analysts say that as US-Iran tensions escalate, Iran is trying to pressure regional allies supporting the United States by harassing the civilian and financial targets of Persian Gulf countries. As Dubai is a global aviation and financial hub, a series of targeted attacks has further heightened regional security concerns.
The UAE military has now raised its air defense alert level and strengthened intelligence sharing with US forces to prevent further cross-border attacks on critical infrastructure.