Fire caused by drone strike on US consulate in Dubai has been extinguished, officials say

Original article by Anna Betts

Authorities have ​put down ‌a limited fire near ⁠the ​US consulate ​in Dubai due to ​a ​drone strike, with no injuries reported, according to Dubai’s media office on Tuesday.

In a statement posted online, the media office said: “Dubai authorities have confirmed that a fire resulting from a drone-related incident near the US Consulate has been successfully contained.”

It added that “emergency teams responded immediately”, and in a post about 45 minutes later, the media office said the fire had been “fully extinguished” with “no injuries reported”.

“Dubai authorities reaffirm their commitment to ensuring everyone’s safety and security,” they wrote.

A US official and Dubai’s government media office provided more details to the Wall Street Journal, telling the outlet that a drone had struck the parking lot of the consulate in Dubai.

Video footage being shared on social media showed black smoke rising near the consulate.

Iran’s state broadcaster, IRIB, reported that an Iranian drone had hit the US consulate in Dubai, according to the New York Times.

The incident comes as the US embassy in Saudi Arabia was struck by two drones on Monday “resulting in a limited fire and minor material damage to the building”, according to the Saudi ministry of defense.

The embassy has urged Americans in Jeddah, Riyadh and Dhahran to shelter in place.

And on Tuesday, the US embassy in Kuwait also announced that it would be “closed until further notice”.

Marco Rubio said later on Tuesday that the state department is working on helping Americans in the Middle East leave.

“We have identified and continue to identify charter flights, military flight options and expanded commercial flight options, meaning working with the airlines to send bigger airplanes with more seats,” the US secretary of state told reporters in Washington DC.

Rubio added that, in “a couple instances”, planes had been en route to the Middle East before the airspace shut down and were forced to turn around.