A second major explosion has been reported at Dubai International Airport (DXB) on Sunday morning, less than 10 hours after an Iranian kamikaze drone hit Terminal 3, injuring at least four people, and leading to the full-scale evacuation of the airport.
Thick black smoke was seen billowing from the airfield of the airport close to a line of parked airplanes that have been grounded since Saturday morning, when airspace across the Gulf region was shuttered as a major US and Israeli offensive against Iran began.
International air travel through the Persian Gulf is now paralyzed, with some of the world’s best airlines, including the likes of Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar Airways, unable to say when operations are likely to resume.
What we have seen in the past day is what increasingly looks like the deliberate targeting of airports, hotels, and tourist sites by the Iranian regime, despite the confirmed death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Here’s the current situation at airports across the region:
Abu Dhabi (AUH) – Home hub of Etihad Airways
Abu Dhabi International Airport confirmed on Saturday night that an ‘incident’ took place at the airport that resulted in the death of one person and injured at least seven others.
The airport later said that an interception of a kamikaze drone led to falling debris on the grounds of the airport.
Etihad Airways has now suspended all flights until 2:00 am (local) on Monday, March 2.
Bahrain (BAH) – Home hub of Gulf Air
A drone landed on the grounds of Bahrain International Airport late on Saturday, causing a limited amount of damage. The airport remains shuttered, and the terminal building has been evacuated.
Gulf Air has not been able to indicate when flights could resume. Bahrain has taken a beating from Iranian drones and missiles, with several confirmed strikes in residential areas.
On Sunday, there were also reports that the Crowne Plaza hotel had taken a hit from an Iranian missile.
Dubai (DXB) – Home hub of Emirates
Dubai International Airport now appears to have been hit twice by Iranian projectiles. A drone struck Terminal 3 late on Saturday night, injuring at least four people, although the airport said the majority of passengers had already been evacuated.
On Sunday morning, a second strike was reported on the airfield of the airport, although public authorities have yet to comment on the extent of the damage.
Emirates initially planned to resume flights on Sunday afternoon, but has since pushed that restart time to 3:00 pm on Monday, March 2.
Doha (DOH) – Home hub of Qatar Airways
The state of Qatar has confirmed multiple interceptions of Iranian missiles and drones over the last 24 hours, and there are no reported hits on Doha Hamad International Airport.
Nonetheless, after confirmation of a strike on Dubai International Airport and another strike on Kuwait International Airport, officials in Doha rushed to expedite the evacuation of stranded passengers to local hotels.
Qatar Airways has now cancelled all flights until 9:00 am (local) on Monday, March 2, at the very earliest.
Tens of thousands of passengers are now stranded, not only in the Middle East but around the world, due to the continued closure of airspace. Dubai International Airport alone normally handles an average of 261,000 passengers every single day.
The question is, why is Iran targeting airports and hotels, like the Crowne Plaza in Bahrain and the Fairmont Hotel and Resort in Dubai?
Analysts believe the embattled leadership in Iran is targeting innocent tourists as an attempt to pressure its neighbors to demand that President Trump stop bombing Tehran.
The Iranian regime thinks that states like Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have significant influence over Trump and that they cannot stomach a concerted military campaign that could damage their economies and global image for years to come.
The key question is how effective the air defense systems of these small Persian Gulf countries will be if the air campaign waged by Iran lasts for much longer. There is now a clear race against time for US and Israeli forces to destroy Iran’s missile and drone launchers before air defense interceptor stocks start to run out.
