Dubai authorities were working to extinguish a fire at the Jebel Ali port after debris from an interceptor triggered the blaze, officials said Sunday, following a wave of Iranian strikes targeting the UAE and Gulf states. "Dubai authorities confirm that debris resulting from an aerial interception caused a fire at one of the berths at Jebel Ali Port. Dubai Civil Defence teams responded immediately and are continuing their efforts to fully extinguish the fire," the Dubai Media Office said in a post on its official X account. The Jebel Ali port hosts US warships and is capable of handling aircraft carriers.

Explosions also rocked Dubai's Palm Jumeirah man-made island and drone debris caused a fire at the Burj Al Arab ultra-luxury hotel as waves of Iranian missiles targeted the UAE on Saturday, authorities said. Two witnesses on the Palm, an upscale, palm tree-shaped residential and leisure development, heard an explosion and saw smoke rising from a five-star hotel.

The Dubai media office confirmed an "incident" in a building on the Palm Jumeirah caused a fire and injured four people. Hours later, a second blast exploded close to the same building, after what looked like a drone plunged from above, another witness saw.

The United Arab Emirates said 137 missiles and 209 drones were fired at its territory by Iran, most of them intercepted by defence systems. Debris from an intercepted drone sparked a fire at the base of the Burj Al Arab, the sail-shaped building sometimes touted as the world's first seven-star hotel. "Authorities confirm that a drone was intercepted and debris caused a minor fire on the Burj Al Arab's outer facade," the Dubai Media Office wrote on X.

"Civil Defence teams responded immediately and brought the incident under control. No injuries have been reported." Four staff were wounded at Dubai airport as a concourse sustained "minor damage", the facility's governing body said. The UAE had already closed its airspace, meaning most passengers had left the airport.

In Abu Dhabi, the UAE capital, one person was killed and seven wounded in an "incident" at Zayed International Airport, its governing body said.