Driver dies in Al Barsha incident amid expanding Iran-US-Israel war; UAE condemns attacks on civilians
Plume of smoke rises around Dubai Creek area as seen from Dubai International Airport in Dubai, United Arab Emirates March 7, 2026. PHOTO: REUTERS
A Pakistani driver was killed when “debris from an aerial interception” fell onto a vehicle in Dubai’s Al Barsha area late on Saturday night, according to the Dubai Media Office.
This is the second instance of a Pakistani national losing his life in an attack in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) during the ongoing war between Iran and the United States and Israel.
The war has expanded across the region, with Iran targeting US assets and bases in Gulf countries while Israel carries out attacks in Lebanon.
The statement by the Dubai Media Office did not specify which projectile was intercepted during Saturday’s incident or where it had been fired from.
Authorities confirm that debris from an aerial interception fell onto a vehicle in the Al Barsha area, resulting in the death of a Pakistani driver.
— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) March 7, 2026
The war began on February 28, when the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran. On the same day, the UAE defence ministry reported the death of a person after debris fell following the interception of missiles targeting sites in Abu Dhabi.
Initially, the defence ministry said an Asian national had been killed after debris fell on a residential area in Abu Dhabi.
Later, UAE authorities confirmed that the victim was a Pakistani national identified as Mureed Zaman, a resident of Bannu district in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
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Zaman had been working in Abu Dhabi for nearly eight years, earning a livelihood through labour work and driving. He had been supporting his family back home.
The UAE conveyed its “sincere condolences and deepest sympathies to the family of the Pakistani national who lost his life as a result of these attacks, expressing its full solidarity with them”.
“The UAE stressed that the targeting of civilians and civilian objects is unequivocally condemned and strictly prohibited under international law and humanitarian principles,” a statement issued by the foreign ministry said.
