India, Feb. 28 -- Dubai, one of the world's busiest aviation hubs ground to a halt on Saturday after Iranian missile strikes rippled across the Gulf, prompting authorities to evacuate the Burj Khalifa and suspend operations at its airports. Explosions were heard across the city as regional airspace closures disrupted global travel routes.

Loud blasts were heard across Dubai on Saturday afternoon and evening after Iran launched retaliatory attacks targeting US-linked military facilities in the region, hours after joint American and Israeli strikes on Tehran. Residents reported loud blasts, shaking windows and missiles streaking across the night sky.

"It was a big explosion, and it made the windows shake," one witness told AFP.

Track Liv...