Flights suspended at Dubai International Airport after drone incident amid US-Israel-Iran conflict

DUBAI: Flights were temporarily suspended at Dubai International Airport following a drone-related incident near the airport, authorities said on Monday, as tensions linked to the ongoing conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran continue to impact the region.

According to the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, the suspension was imposed as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of passengers and staff.

In a post on X, the Dubai Media Office said, “Dubai Civil Aviation Authority announces the temporary suspension of flights at Dubai International Airport as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of all passengers and staff. Travellers are advised to contact their respective airlines for the latest updates regarding their flights. Further updates will be announced through official channels as soon as they become available.”

Authorities also said a fire broke out after a drone struck in the vicinity of the airport, causing minimal damage. “Authorities are currently responding to a fire resulting from a drone-related incident in the vicinity of Dubai International Airport. All necessary measures are being taken to ensure everyone’s safety,” the Dubai Media Office said.

Dubai Civil Aviation Authority announces the temporary suspension of flights at Dubai International Airport as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of all passengers and staff. Travellers are advised to contact their respective airlines for the latest updates regarding…

— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) March 16, 2026

The ongoing conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran has disrupted operations and security conditions at several locations across the region. Earlier, US President Donald Trump said Iran’s military had been heavily damaged by American strikes but stopped short of declaring the conflict over.

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One while travelling to Joint Base Andrews, Trump said, “No reason to. I think I’d just say they’re decimated, but I haven’t–I think that we’ve done damage to them right now. If we left right now, it would take them 10 years and more to rebuild. But I’m still not declaring it over.”

Trump claimed US military operations had “essentially defeated Iran”. “Militarily, we’ve essentially–as far as I’m concerned–we’ve essentially defeated Iran. I guess they can have a little bit of a fight back, but not much. Not much. We’ve taken out their air forces, as you know. We’ve taken out their air defence. They have no air defence whatsoever,” he said.

He also claimed that several senior Iranian leaders had been eliminated during the campaign. “We’ve taken out their leadership times two, four, three–might be three, we’ll find out soon,” Trump said.

Referring to US strikes on Iran’s key oil export facility on Kharg Island, Trump said Washington retained the capability to inflict further damage if required.

“We attacked Kharg Island, and it was left with just one little area standing. And the standing part is where they have the pipes, where the oil pipes come in. And we can do that on five minutes’ notice. We have it all locked and loaded and ready to go if we want to do it. But we chose not to do it–I chose not to do it yet. Let’s see what happens,” he said. (ANI)