Dubai’s financial district was hit by a drone on Friday morning, with the debris from an intercepted Iranian attack damaging a building.
Footage from the International Finance Centre shows huge clouds of smoke billowing from the towering structure.
It is the latest in a series of incidents in the UAE city since the US-Israeli war on Iran began two weeks ago.
Dubai officials shared in a post on X that “debris from a successful interception caused a minor incident on the facade of a building in central Dubai. No injuries have been reported.”
An Iranian official had warned on Wednesday that it would target banks and economic centres linked to the US and Israel.
A number of major banks, including American lenders, have offices in Dubai’s financial district as it serves as an international financial hub, and some have encouraged their staff to leave the region and work remotely, given the ongoing and widening Middle Eastern war.
Bloomberg employees based in the Gulf, including the Dubai regional headquarters, were asked to temporarily relocate and work elsewhere earlier this week, a spokesperson told Reuters.
Banks such as the US lender, Citigroup, and British bank, Standard Chartered, as well as the London Stock Exchange Group, have also informed employees in Dubai to work remotely.
Iran has carried out repeated drone attacks on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in recent weeks, including Dubai’s airport, hotels, its harbour and residential towers.
The UAE’s ministry of defence says it has countered over 1,514 drones and 268 ballistic missiles since the war began. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman have also come under attack by Iran.
Dubai authorities, keen to maintain the city’s reputation as a safe haven in the region, have cracked down on people sharing footage of incidents.
A 60-year-old British tourist was arrested in Dubai on Monday for allegedly filming Iranian missiles whilst on holiday. He is one of 21 people who have been taken into custody under UAE’s cyber crime laws, according to the campaign group Detained in Dubai.
The British Embassy in the UAE has reiterated that photographing or sharing images of incident sites, projectile damage, government buildings, or diplomatic missions is strictly prohibited.
The punishment could include up to two years in prison, or a hefty fine ranging from from £4,000 to £40,000, or both, as well as deportation.
Many foreign governments have advised against travel to the Gulf and other parts of the Middle East, and have urged their citizens to leave if they wish to do so, as the war escalates.
