A British expat has told how his apartment in Dubai was hit by an Iranian drone as the emirate comes under sustained attack by Tehran in retaliation for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s death in a US-Israeli airstrike.
Iran is attacking US allies across the Middle East including Dubai, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Abu Dhabi with ballistic missiles and kamikaze drones.
Western expats in Dubai have posted numerous videos of kamikaze drones hitting famous landmarks including the Burj Al Arab hotel and the Palm Jumeirah hotel.
One man with a British accent posted a video to social media with a commentary revealing: ‘We’ve just been hit by a drone’, adding ‘I didn’t even finish my cup of tea.’
He added that his flat was on the 19th floor of the Warda apartment complex in Dubai.
The block is in the south of Dubai, in Town Square, Al Yalayis 2 – 18 miles from the Burj Khalifa.
The flats have been selling for an average of 1.3 million Dirhams or nearly £275,000.
Video footage shows the inside of a Dubai apartment, where a British expat was living, after a Iranian suicide drone attacked
In the video, the man said: ‘No joking guys, we have just been hit by a drone…it stinks of oil in here’
Columns of smoke could be seen rising from the Crowne Plaza hotel in the Bahrain city of Manama after it was hit by missiles
The flat was on the 19th floor of the Warda apartment complex in Dubai
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It comes as:
- Three US servicemen have been killed following retaliatory strikes, with another five seriously wounded.
- President Donald Trump warned US will strike with ‘force never seen before’ if Tehran carries out threats of harsh retaliation.
- Senior Iranian politician Ali Larijani vowed that the US and Israel would be hit ‘with a force that they have never experienced before’ in retaliation to attacks that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader.
- Iran continued its onslaught of retaliatory strikes across the Middle East.
- Iranian strikes hit sites in Dubai for the second day in a row, as well as strikes in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Iraq.
- Strikes hit Oman for the first time today, and a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz caught on fire after it was hit by an Iranian drone strike.
- Trump and Netanyahu urged Iranians to rise up and overthrow the government.
- Defence Secretary John Healey revealed that missiles were fired towards Cyprus, narrowly missing British troops.
- The ‘Red Flag of Revenge’ was raised in Iran following the death of the Supreme Leader.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin called the killing of Khamenei a ‘cynical murder’.
- Iran launched ballistic missiles towards a US aircraft carrier, before US military confirmed they ‘did not even come close’.
- It was revealed that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has also been killed in airstrikes.
Three civilians have been killed in Dubai as Iran’s missile and suicide drone bombardment of the Middle East continues following the death of its Supreme Leader.
The remnants of the Iranian regime are launching widespread airstrikes targeting US allies, military bases and areas popular with Western expats – and three American troops have been confirmed dead.
The Iranian regime vowed to unleash its ‘most intense offensive operation in history’, with ‘force’ its enemies ‘have never experienced before’.
At least two drones have hit Dubai’s airport, the world-famous Burj Al Arab and Palm Jumeirah hotels were hit yesterday, and further explosions echoed across the Emirates today.
Two further rounds of blasts echoed around Dubai this morning, with the most recent reported just before 12pm GMT.
In the Bahrain city of Manama, the Crowne Plaza hotel was damaged by a suicide drone, and Iranian missiles have also been hitting Tel Aviv – with at least ten people confirmed to have been killed in Israel. There has also been a death in Kuwait.
Smoke rises from Dubai International Airport this morning as Emirates planes remain grounded
Dramatic footage showed an interception near the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building
Luisa Zissman has said she was forced to retreat to her basement in Dubai after hearing four massive explosions while out at the park with her children
Senior regime figure Ali Larijani, who is expected to take over from the assassinated Ayatollah, led the calls to intensify revenge attacks on Israel and the West today.
Celebrities such as Luisa Zissman joined a group of terrified celebrities including Petra Ecclestone and Arabella Chi sharing updates from the missile strikes in Dubai.
The TV personality, 38, is among a group of influencers and reality stars who have moved to the UAE and are keeping fans updated on the situation, after Iranian air strikes began on the famous Palm Jumeirah this weekend.
Luisa said she was having to keep her children entertained indoors after fleeing the park due to the noise of explosions.
Luisa, who is mother to Dixie, 16, Indigo, 10, and Clementine, nine, was forced to retreat to her basement in Dubai after hearing four explosions while out with her children today.
She said: ‘So surreal and scary. I do have faith that UAE defence will keep us all safe.’
In the last few hours, residents of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital, also reported hearing several loud bangs.
Explosions have been heard for a second day across the Middle East though most missiles and drones have been downed by air defences.
Iran claimed to have struck 27 US bases in the region, but has also hit a range of other sites including residential tower blocks and luxury hotels.
Yesterday in Dubai, Iranian suicide drones hit landmark hotel the Palm Jumeirah, injuring four people, as well as the iconic sail-shaped Burj Al Arab hotel, sparking panic among tourists.
Dubai’s iconic sail-shaped Burj Al Arab was ablaze following Iranian attacks
The Palm Jumeirah hotel in Dubai was engulfed in flames yesterday after being hit, with four people injured
The Crowne Plaza Manama in Bahrain smoulders after coming under Iranian attack
The government of the UAE – which runs Dubai and the six other Emirate states – confirmed that three people have been killed by Iran’s strikes and 58 more injured.
The state confirmed that debris from drones intercepted by air defences had fallen onto two homes in the city, injuring two people, and also caused a fire at the major Jebel Ali port.
Further videos overnight showed panic in a smoke-filled, debris-strewn terminal at Dubai Airport, which has been evacuated after four members of staff were injured.
A post on X read: ‘Dubai Airports confirms that a concourse at Dubai International (DXB) sustained minor damage in an incident, which was quickly contained.’
Nearly 6,000 flights have been cancelled worldwide and almost 30,000 delayed since conflict erupted across the Middle East.
The UAE’s Ministry of Defence said that, as of this afternoon, it had shot down 152 ballistic missiles, two cruise missiles, and 506 drones. A handful of attacks have successfully breached defences and hit their mark.
Dramatic footage showed a fireball in the sky near the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, as a weapon was intercepted.
Iran also launched two missiles towards British military bases in Cyprus, Defence Secretary John Healey said this morning. However, the Cypriot government later denied that any missies had been heading towards it.
Mr Healey warned that Iranian missile commanders are ‘increasingly allowed to choose their own targets’ as Tehran loses its ‘command and control’.
This afternoon, Iran targeted one of America’s two aircraft carriers that have been dispatched to the region, the USS Abraham Lincoln.
State media declared it had been ‘struck by four ballistic missiles’. USS Central Command denied this, however, insisting the missiles ‘didn’t even come close’.
Smoke billows from the Abu Dhabi port, where there is a French naval base
Flames and a black plume of smoke rise from a warehouse in the industrial area of Sharjah City in the UAE, following reports of Iranian strikes
The aftermath of an Iranian rocket hitting Beit Shemesh in Israel, where nine people were killed
The Crowne Plaza hotel in Bahrain was engulfed in thick smoke this morning, with its owners reporting it had suffered an ‘incident’ but that all guests and staff were safe.
Bahrain’s air defences responded overnight to ‘hostile Iranian missile attacks’, intercepting at least 45 missiles and nine drones, state media reported this morning.
Separately, the US military said that three service people have been killed in action, and a further five seriously injured, as part of Operation Epic Fury – as it has coined the campaign.
An oil tanker was attacked off the coast of Musandam in Oman, according to the country’s maritime security center, injuring four people and forcing the entire 20-strong crew to evacuate.
Iran has also closed the Strait of Hormuz – one of the world’s most vital oil shipping lanes that connects the major Gulf producers, such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq and the UAE, with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. At least 150 tankers are waiting to travel through it.
At least ten people have been killed in Israel by the Iranian strikes. Nine people were killed in a missile strike on the northern town of Beit Shemesh, the Israeli ambulance service said today.
One person was killed and seven injured in an attack on Abu Dhabi’s Zayed airport, while thick black smoke has been seen rising from the Erbil Airport in Iraq. One person was also killed in Kuwait.
The Starlight oil tanker burns off the coast of Oman after a reported drone attack by Iran amid reprisals for Khamenei’s death
Thick black smoke billows from the Jebel Ali port in Dubai after it was struck by falling debris
Reports from Doha, Qatar’s capital, say that several loud explosions were heard at 7:30 this morning local time, while the government said 16 people had been injured.
The airspace over the Middle East remains almost completely empty, with most of the airports closed to all traffic. Around 20,000 flights have so far been delayed or cancelled.
The UK Foreign Office (FCDO) has warned Britons in several Middle East countries to ‘immediately shelter in place’ and to avoid travel to Israel and Palestine.
‘Remain indoors in a secure location, avoid all travel and follow instructions from the local authorities,’ it advised, adding it was ‘working around the clock’ to support British nationals affected.
Today’s continued bombardment around the Middle East comes as Iran confirmed the death of the Ayatollah after hours of denial.
Khamenei, 86, was killed in the airstrike after Israeli jets dropped 30 bombs on the Supreme Leader’s compound.
Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump were reportedly shown an image of Khamenei’s body after it was recovered from his compound.
More information emerged today about his death, with confirmation the decisive blow was dealt by the Israeli Air Force, working on intelligence from the IDF.
The IDF said today it had killed 40 ‘key’ Iranian military commanders within a minute of blitzing Khamenei’s compound.
His death comes after nearly 37 years as the Islamic Republic’s leader – sending the regime into meltdown and destabilizing the Gulf.
As well as Khamenei’s four family members, two high-level military leaders – Rear Adm. Ali Shamkhani, and commander of the IRGC Maj. Gen. Mohammad Pakpour – were also obliterated in the strikes on Saturday morning.
This morning, Iran’s deputy foreign minister said that Trump has crossed a ‘very dangerous red line’.
A fireball explosion erupts from a building in Manama, Bahrain, after an Iranian drone attack
Saeed Khatibzadeh told CNN: ‘Of course, from a religious aspect, he was a great religious leader, so many of Shiite followers across the region and around the world are going to react to that, and this is very obvious because President Trump passed a very dangerous red line.’
Ali Larijani, currently the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council but touted as Khamenei’s successor, wrote on X: ‘Yesterday Iran fired missiles at the United States and Israel, and they did hurt.
‘Today, we will hit them with a force that they have never experience before.’
Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, appeared on state TV this afternoon to declare that the country is ‘crushing enemy’s bases’.
And the so-called ‘Red Flag of Revenge’ was raised over the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad, the world’s third-largest mosque.
Iranian media reported that at least 153 girls had been killed when a primary school was struck yesterday, and that 57 people have been killed in Tehran. It said the capital has been hit by 60 attacks in 24 hours.
Meanwhile, Israel announced it had carried out a fresh wave of strikes on Iran and struck the ‘heart’ of the capital.
A statement from the IDF said: ‘For the first time since the start of Operation “Roaring Lion”, the IAF [Israeli Air Force] is striking targets that belong to the Iranian terror regime in the heart of Tehran.
‘Over the past day, the Israeli Air force conducted large-scale strikes in order to establish aerial superiority and to pave the path to Tehran.’
Israeli also claimed today that former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had been killed.
Trump, meanwhile, promised to strike Iran with ‘a force that has never been seen before’, after it boasted of the number of US bases hit.
The president posed on Truth Social: ‘Iran just stated that they are going to hit very hard today, harder than they have ever hit before. THEY BETTER NOT DO THAT, HOWEVER, BECAUSE IF THEY DO, WE WILL HIT THEM WITH A FORCE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE!’
Iranian state media initially denied the Supreme Leader had been killed on Saturday but later confirmed his death, saying they would be undergoing 40 days of mourning.
During the official announcement of Khamenei’s death on Iranian state news, the anchor wore black and stifled tears as he read a statement from the National Supreme Council.
The Council described Khamenei as a revered religious Islamic figure, and said his ‘long dream of martyrdom became true’. It was noted that Khamenei was killed during the month of Ramadan.
According to the statement, Iranians were mourning the leader’s death, and enemies of the country should note that ‘martyrdom will spark a massive uprising in the fight against oppressors’.
However, there have also been Iranians taking to the streets in large numbers to rejoice the decapitation of the regime that has for decades ruled over them with an iron fist.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s daughter, grandchild, daughter-in-law and son-in-law were killed in joint US and Israeli strikes yesterday
It has been deeply unpopular among many for the way it has enforced strict religious law, clamped down violently on dissent, and made Iran a pariah on the world stage.
There has been no official update about the resumption of American strikes in Iran today – but it was revealed that an Iranian naval ship was sunk by US military strikes yesterday.
Prime minister Keir Starmer said yesterday that the UK was not involved in the strikes against Iran, but that RAF planes were in the sky in a ‘defensive’ capacity.
He condemned Iran’s lashing out at the region, and urged both sides to avoid ‘further escalation’.
In a statement, the so-called ‘E3’ leaders condemned Iran’s retaliatory strikes against Gulf states following the US and Israeli attacks.
But the Prime Minister, France’s Emmanuel Macron and Germany’s Friedrich Merz pointedly noted how they ‘did not participate’ in the US-led ‘Operation Epic Fury’.
They also called for the Iranian regime ‘to seek a negotiated solution’.
On Sunday, Labour’s John Healey repeatedly dodged questions on whether Britain supports Mr Trump’s decision to launch military strikes against Iran.
The Defence Secretary refused six times in a TV interview to say if the UK backed the US and Israeli action – or if the Government considered the action to be legal.
Mr Healey declined to give a direct answer on whether Britain backed the US and Israeli action.
This is despite Mr Trump’s assault on Tehran having being endorsed by other ‘Five Eyes’ allies, such as Australia and Canada.
The Defence Secretary instead only pointed to how Britain ‘played no part’ in the strikes on Iran and said it was up to America to ‘set out the legal basis of the action that it took’.
Satellite imagery shows black smoke rising and heavy damage at the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s compound
Mr Healey also dodged on whether the UK had refused the US permission to use British military bases, such as Diego Garcia, to strike Iran.
But he said ‘few people would mourn’ Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei following his death in the US-Israeli strikes.
He also said Britain shared the ‘primary aim’ that Iran ‘should never have a nuclear weapon’.
Elsewhere, Vladimir Putin made his first comments about the killing of the Supreme Leader, which he called a ‘cynical murder’.
The Russian president said: ‘Please accept my deep condolences in connection with the murder of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Seyed Ali Khamenei, and members of his family, committed in cynical violation of all norms of human morality and international law.’
In Pakistan, at least nine people died during protests over Khamenei’s death. Demonstrators clashed with the authorities in Karachi, where tear gas shells and baton charges were deployed.
