A LUXURY Dubai high rise has been struck by an Iranian drone – with shocking footage showing a huge hole punched into the side of the skyscraper.
A terrifying inferno tore through a section of the building near Dubai Creek Harbour – in the latest retaliatory attack from the reeling mullah regime.
Emergency services fought the blaze and brought it under control after the strike in the early hours of Thursday, local authorities said.
It comes as…
They shared images showing the aftermath of the attack – which unfolded just five miles from the Emirati city’s main airport.
And in jaw-dropping footage, flames could be seen ripping through the sky-high tower as plumes of smoke rose above in the moments after the blitz.
It comes after Dubai International came under attack from Iranian drones earlier this week, leaving four people injured.
No casualties have been reported following the tower strike on Thursday, with authorities confirming all residents were “safe”.
Iran‘s regime is continuing to lash out with waves of retaliatory strikes on the Gulf states targeting US assets.
At least seven American personnel have been killed in the spiralling conflict which kicked off on February 28 with the assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Off the coast of Iraq, at least one person died after Iranian suicide boats struck two oil tankers.
A third cargo ship was hit in the early hours of Thursday off the coast of the United Arab Emirates in the Strait of Hormuz.
It comes as the UAE has stepped up its crackdown on locals filming the latest Iranian attacks – as 21 people including a Dubai-based Brit have been charged under cyber-crime laws.
The 60-year-old was arrested on Monday – despite assuring police that he’d deleted the footage from his phone.
Regardless, the Londoner was caught up in the mass crackdown, campaign group Detained in Dubai warned.
Radha Stirling, CEO of Detained in Dubai, described the list of charges as “extremely vague but serious on paper”.
“In reality, the alleged conduct could be something as simple as sharing or commenting on a video that is already circulating online,” she said.
“Under UAE cyber-crime laws, the person who originally posts content can be charged, but so can anyone who reshapes, reposts or comments on it.
“One video can quickly lead to dozens of people facing criminal charges.”
All 21 people are accused of using an information network or information technology tool to broadcast, publish, republish or circulate false news, rumours or provocative propaganda that may incite public opinion or disturb public security.
If found guilty, they could face up to two years in prison, or fines ranging from £4,000 to £40,600, or both.
Foreign nationals will also be hit with enforced deportations.
Stirling also warned that multiple counts can be applied.
This means that a person who reposts several videos or articles could face cumulative charges and multiple sentences.
This comes just two weeks after the UAE Public Prosecution Office warned against publishing or circulating “rumours” and information from unknown sources.
Elsewhere in the Gulf, more than 200 people in Qatar have already been charged under similar laws since the conflict began, according to Detained in Dubai.
The UAE’s cryptic cyber-crime laws
THE UAE’s cyber-crime laws are among the strictest in the world.
People can face fines of up to £57,000, lengthy detention, and travel bans for social media posts that authorities consider harmful to “public order”, “national unity” or the reputation of the state.
Detained in Dubai warns that the legislation is “deliberately broad” – and in times of war they become even more dangerous.
Almost anything critical of government policy or regional conflict can be interpreted as a crime.
In practice, commentary about regional conflict, government policy or security matters can be interpreted as a criminal offence.
Sharing advice about what to do and what not to do in the country, the organisation said: “Do not assume your home country’s free speech protections apply in the UAE. They do not.
“Do not assume that sharing international news coverage is safe. It may not be.
“Do not assume that deleting a post removes liability. It often does not.”
It has also emerged that Iran’s newly elected Ayatollah is in a coma and has lost one leg.
Fresh Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has been put in charge by the rogue state’s mad mullahs despite being critically wounded in an air strike.
Sources told The Sun the 56-year-old son of assassinated Ayatollah Ali Khamenei lost at least one leg and has also suffered serious stomach or liver damage.
It was unclear whether he was injured on the same day his 86-year-old father died – February 28 – but he is not directing the strategy currently sparking energy market turmoil.
A Sun source in Iranian capital Tehran today smuggled out extraordinary details about the new leader’s condition, treatment, location and security.
He is currently under intensive care at the Sina University Hospital in the city’s historic quarter after a section of the building was sealed off and surrounded by massive security.
The source – who asked not to be identified fearing for his life – managed to dodge Iran’s near total internet blackout to send messages to an exiled dissident based in London.
