Flames, black smoke rise near US Consulate in Dubai after drone strike; no injuries reported — watch video

Authorities have put down ‌a limited fire in the vicinity of ⁠the US consulate in Dubai due to a drone strike, Dubai’s media office ⁠said on Tuesday.A US official and Dubai’s government media office told the Wall Street Journal that a drone struck the parking lot of the consulate in Dubai.Several Footages are being circulated on social media, showing black smoke near the consulate. Dubai’s government told the Journal that it had contained the fire.“Emergency teams responded immediately,” the media office said. “No injuries have been reported.”

‘Iran hiding behind missiles’

State secretary Marco Rubio said that Iran is hiding behind these missiles and drones and gave an indirect warning that under Trump a country which has “terroristic” regime will not get nuclear weapons. They are hiding behind these missiles and hiding behind these drones. They wanted to reach a point where you couldn’t touch them and then they could do whatever the hell they wanted with their nuclear program — and there was no way in the world that this terroristic regime was going to get nuclear weapons. Not under Donald Trump’s watch.”

UAE retains its rights to self defence

The United Arab Emirates reaffirmed that it has not taken any decision to alter its defensive posture in response to the repeated Iranian attacks. “The UAE reiterates that it is not a party to this war and has not permitted the use of its territory, territorial waters, or airspace for any attack against Iran, consistent with its long-standing policy of good neighborliness, de-escalation, and its firm commitment to the Charter of the United Nations,” the foreign ministry said in a tweet. “Furthermore, the UAE underscores that it retains its legitimate right to self-defense, as recognized under international law and the Charter of the United Nations. The UAE further stresses the importance of journalistic responsibility and the need to rely on official, credible sources before publishing or circulating inaccurate or misleading reports,” it added.WhatsAppAuthorities in Dubai confirmed earlier in the day that sounds heard in various areas across the city were the result of air defence interception operations.The relevant Dubai teams continued to closely monitor the situation and were taking all necessary measures to ensure public safety.The UAE Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced that UAE air defence systems intercepted 11 ballistic missiles and 123 drones today, while one missile landed within the country’s territory without causing any human casualties.The Ministry stated that since the beginning of what it described as the blatant Iranian aggression, a total of 186 ballistic missiles was detected as launched towards the UAE. Of these, 172 missiles were destroyed, 13 fell into the sea, and one missile landed on the country’s territory.MoD added that 812 Iranian drones were detected, of which 755 were intercepted, while 57 fell within the country. It also reported that eight cruise missiles were detected and destroyed.