Abu Dhabi complex housing embassies damaged as retaliatory strikes widen in Gulf

DUBAI: Debris from an intercepted drone damaged an Abu Dhabi complex housing the Israeli embassy and several other international missions, causing minor injuries to a woman and her child, Abu Dhabi’s state media office said on Sunday.

Debris from the drone fell against the facade of the Etihad Towers complex after an interception that caused loud sounds heard across the emirate, the media office said. After the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on Saturday, Iran said it would target US bases in the region. But it has also hit a range of civilian and commercial areas across Gulf cities, widening the conflict’s impact on key regional aviation and trade hubs.

As retaliatory strikes widened on Sunday they reverberated across Gulf Arab states, with loud blasts heard in Dubai and the Qatari capital Doha and with Oman being hit for the first time.

In Dubai, two people were injured after shrapnel from drones fell over two houses when they were intercepted, a Dubai state media office statement said. Dubai’s international airport, its landmark Burj Al Arab hotel and man-made Palm Jumeirah Island all suffered damage overnight, as did Abu Dhabi’s international airport.

Thick black plumes of smoke continued to rise from the Jebel Ali port area, where one of the berths caught fire on Sunday because of debris from an intercepted missile.

State-owned logistics firm DP World has temporarily paused operations at Jebel Ali Port, according to a notice seen by Reuters.

The operator said the move was taken as a precaution following the recent regional developments and following the direction of relevant government authorities.

The operator’s Jebel Ali Port and adjacent free trade zone account for 36 percent of Dubai’s gross domestic product. The company says it handles around 10 percent of global container traffic with operations spanning countries including Angola, Britain, Canada, India and Peru.

Dubai Media Office and DP World did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

Large plumes of smoke were also seen rising at Abu Dhabi’s Zayed Port area, according to a Reuters witness.

In neighbouring Oman, which was spared retaliation on Saturday, Duqm commercial port was targeted by two drones, wounding one worker, the state news agency said.

Dubai is the biggest tourism and trade hub in the Middle East and its airport is one of the world’s busiest travel hubs.

Qatar’s interior ministry said on Sunday that it was responding to a limited fire in an industrial zone after debris fell from an intercepted missile.