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Dubai Skyline Photo: On February 24, satellite images captured Dubai with multilane highways laid out in perfect grids, skyscrapers gleaming in the sun, and palm-shaped islands stretching across the region. However, less than a week later, the order appeared disrupted.
On March 1, fresh satellite images of sections of the Dubai skyline showed thick columns of smoke drifting above the city. The grim images were the result of drones and missiles launched by Iran across the Gulf, a move described as retaliation for strikes carried out by the United States and Israel.
For many years, Dubai has largely maintained a reputation as a haven of stability. It has drawn Arabs fleeing unrest, western professionals attracted by low taxes and career prospects along with investors.
On Sunday, Dubai International Airport, the world's busiest for international traffic, was severely damaged following Iranian strikes. The attack resulted in the destruction of part of a concourse and left four airport staff injured. Authorities confirmed that the terminals had already been evacuated of passengers before the strikes occurred.
The damage at Dubai International came after a series of Iranian retaliatory actions across the region, which also targeted other airports in the Gulf. As a result, numerous flights to and from the Middle East were cancelled, and many passengers found themselves stranded or rerouted to alternative airports.
Dubai airport officials reported that, despite the damage, operations were quickly stabilised. However, the impact of the strikes was still felt across the region as airspace closures by multiple Middle Eastern nations, including the UAE, Qatar, and Bahrain, left hundreds of thousands of travellers grounded.
Iranian media confirmed on Sunday that Supreme Leader Khamenei was killed in US-Israel airstrikes. Four relatives of Khamenei, including his daughter, grandchild and son-in-law, were also killed in the US-Israeli strikes.