Burj Khalifa Evacuated As Iranian Missiles Strike UAE Amid Escalating Conflict

Last Updated:February 28, 2026, 17:06 IST

Burj Khalifa evacuation reported as Iran fired ballistic missiles at UAE, targeting Al-Dhafra Air Base as explosions rocked Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

An evacuation of the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, was reported on Saturday in Dubai, as Iran fired ballistic missiles at the United Arab Emirates in retaliation for the American and Israeli strikes on Iranian soil earlier in the day.

Multiple loud explosions rocked both Abu Dhabi and Dubai as Iranian forces targeted Al-Dhafra Air Base, which houses U.S. military personnel.

Witnesses in Dubai described hearing a loud boom, though authorities did not immediately clarify whether it resulted from a missile strike, an interception, or falling debris.

The interception of an Iranian ballistic missile over Dubai was reported by open-source defence monitoring accounts tracking the strikes in real time.

Iran appears to be striking U.S. targets in several countries at once, with blasts heard from the beaches of Dubai to the streets of Doha.

CNN reporters on the ground in Abu Dhabi, the UAE’s capital, heard explosions and saw smoke rising over the city.

The UAE’s Ministry of Defence confirmed that Iranian ballistic missiles had targeted the country and that air defence systems intercepted several of them. Debris from those interceptions came down on a residential area in Abu Dhabi, killing one person, identified as an Asian national, and causing property damage, the ministry said, citing information from the state-run WAM news agency.

The UAE described the attack as “a dangerous escalation and a cowardly act," calling it “a flagrant violation of national sovereignty and international law." The ministry added that the country “reserves its full right to respond."

Iran’s Fars news agency confirmed that missiles were fired at Al-Dhafra Air Base in the UAE, along with several other U.S. military installations across the region, including Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, Al-Salem Air Base in Kuwait, and the U.S. Fifth Fleet base in Bahrain.

The UAE has shut down its national airspace following the attack, saying that it had closed its airspace “temporarily and partially" as an exceptional precautionary measure.

Major international carriers, including Lufthansa, KLM, Air France, and Air India, cancelled or suspended flights to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and several other Middle Eastern destinations. Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 showed Iranian airspace had also gone largely quiet following the earlier U.S. and Israeli strikes.

Dubai is home to more than 3.7 million people and serves as one of the world’s busiest commercial and aviation hubs, and the conflict risks pulling the UAE directly into a wider military confrontation, a scenario that would seriously threaten the country’s economic model, which depends heavily on attracting international business and wealthy residents.

News world Burj Khalifa Evacuated As Iranian Missiles Strike UAE Amid Escalating Conflict

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