DUBAI, March 8 (Alliance News): A Pakistani driver was killed in Dubai’s Al Barsha area on Saturday evening after debris from an aerial interception struck his vehicle shortly after Iftar, authorities confirmed.
The incident occurred near Sheikh Zayed Road behind the Mall of the Emirates, one of the busiest highways in the city. Officials said the falling debris hit the vehicle and triggered a brief fire. No other injuries were reported.
Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the circumstances of the incident, including whether the driver had received an emergency alert on his mobile phone and whether safety instructions were followed.
The death has raised the toll from recent regional attacks to four people, including two Pakistani nationals.
Earlier, another Pakistani national, Murid Zaman from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, was killed in Abu Dhabi’s Madinat Zayed area after being struck by missile fragments during an Iranian missile strike, according to diplomatic officials.
The Middle East has been plunged into escalating tensions after the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran, resulting in the killing of several senior Iranian military leaders. Iran has since responded with strikes targeting Israel and Gulf states hosting US military installations.
Israel has also launched new attacks in Lebanon following cross-border fire by Hezbollah, further widening the conflict in the region.
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 wounded thousands more.
Meanwhile, Iranian attacks have reportedly killed 10 people in Israel, while at least six US service members have also lost their lives.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, US President Donald Trump said the ongoing air campaign could make negotiations irrelevant if Iran’s leadership and military capabilities were eliminated.
“At some point, I don’t think there will be anybody left maybe to say ‘We surrender,’” Trump said.
In Iran, local media reported that fuel depots in three areas, including Karaj west of Tehran, were hit in recent strikes.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also apologised to neighbouring states for attacks on US facilities in their territories in an apparent effort to ease tensions across the Gulf. However, his remarks sparked criticism from hardliners inside Iran, prompting his office to clarify that the Iranian military would continue to respond firmly to attacks originating from US bases.
Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said on state television that there was no division among Iranian officials regarding the country’s handling of the war.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has reportedly warned Tehran that continued attacks on the kingdom or its energy infrastructure could trigger a direct response, according to sources familiar with the matter.
