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Iranian Shahed Drones, Used by Russia in Ukraine, Attack US Naval Base and Dubai’s Palm Island

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Photo of Ivan Khomenko
Ivan Khomenko
News Writer
A large fire burns near the Fairmont The Palm hotel on Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah after a reported missile impact, sending thick black smoke into the evening sky. (Photo: Open source)
A large fire burns near the Fairmont The Palm hotel on Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah after a reported missile impact, sending thick black smoke into the evening sky. (Photo: Open source)

On the evening of February 28, Iranian-made Shahed drones struck a luxury hotel on Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah and a United States naval base in Bahrain.

These unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are the same models that have been used extensively by Russian forces to target civilian and energy infrastructure across Ukraine since 2022.

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A fire broke out at the Fairmont The Palm hotel, located on the artificial island of Palm Jumeirah, following the impact of an Iranian Shahed drone. The Russian Telegram channel Mash published footage appearing to show the drone crashing into the hotel structure.

The Dubai Media Office stated that the fire has since been localized and the surrounding territory cordoned off. Four individuals were injured in the attack and have been transported to local hospitals.

Simultaneously, reports surfaced regarding a drone strike on US military assets in Bahrain. According to the publication Clash Report, the drones targeted facilities associated with Naval Support Activity Bahrain, the primary base for the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet.

Iran launched these strikes in retaliation for a coordinated military operation by Israel and the United States against Iranian targets. The presence of US military bases in the region has long been a point of contention for Tehran.

Global threat: Shahed drones from Ukraine to the Middle East

The drones used in these attacks—the Shahed-131 and Shahed-136—are the same loitering munitions that have become a hallmark of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Since 2022, Iran has supplied thousands of these suicide drones to the Russian Federation. In the Ukrainian theater, they are often rebranded by Russia as “Geran-1” and “Geran-2.”

In Ukraine, these drones are systematically deployed by Russian forces to conduct “swarm” attacks, designed to overwhelm air defense systems.

They have been used to strike power plants, grain storage facilities, and residential neighborhoods across the country.

International investigators and Ukrainian intelligence have documented that Russia has transitioned from merely importing these drones to establishing large-scale domestic production facilities in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Tatarstan, utilizing Iranian blueprints and technical support.

The Shahed is a low-cost, long-range weapon designed to strike stationary targets, making it a persistent threat to both military installations and civilian infrastructure globally.

Earlier, the UK Parliament publicly displayed a captured Iranian-made Shahed-136 drone used by Russia in its war against Ukraine. The wreckage was exhibited at the House of Commons during an event attended by British lawmakers and Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski, highlighting Tehran’s military support for Moscow and the drone’s role in attacks on Ukrainian civilian and energy infrastructure.

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