DUBAI: A Pakistani driver was killed in Dubai after debris from an aerial interception struck his vehicle in the Al Barsha area on Saturday evening, authorities confirmed.
The incident occurred near Sheikh Zayed Road behind the Mall of the Emirates shortly after Iftar. Officials said the impact caused a brief fire in the vehicle, but no other injuries were reported.
Authorities have launched an investigation to determine whether the driver received an emergency alert on his mobile phone and if safety instructions were followed.
Al Barsha lies along Sheikh Zayed Road, one of the busiest highways in Dubai. The incident has raised the death toll linked to the recent regional attacks to four people, including two Pakistani nationals.
Earlier, another Pakistani national, Murid Zaman from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, was killed in the Madinat Zayed area of Abu Dhabi after being struck by missile fragments during an Iranian missile strike, according to diplomatic officials.
The Middle East has plunged into turmoil after the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran, in which Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and several senior military leaders were killed.
Tehran has since retaliated by targeting Israel and Gulf Arab states hosting US military installations.
Israel has also launched fresh strikes in Lebanon after the Hezbollah fired rockets across the border.
According to Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, the US-Israeli attacks have killed at least 1,332 Iranian civilians and injured thousands more.
Meanwhile, Iranian attacks have killed 10 people in Israel, while at least six US service members have also died in the escalating conflict.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, US President Donald Trump said the ongoing air campaign could render negotiations meaningless if Iran’s leadership and military structure were destroyed.
In Iran, local media citing an Iranian Oil Ministry source said fuel depots in three areas, including Karaj west of Tehran, were hit by strikes.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian apologised to neighbouring countries for attacks on US facilities located in those states, aiming to reduce tensions across the Gulf.
However, his remarks sparked criticism from hardliners at home, prompting officials to reiterate that Iran’s military would continue responding firmly to attacks launched from US bases.
Meanwhile, Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said there was no internal rift among Iranian officials regarding the country’s handling of the war.
Diplomatic sources told Reuters that Saudi Arabia has warned Tehran that continued Iranian strikes on the kingdom or its energy infrastructure could force Riyadh to retaliate.