A drone struck the parking lot adjacent to the US Consulate General's chancellery building in Dubai late Tuesday, igniting a limited fire that authorities quickly extinguished with no injuries reported.

Dubai's media office stated that emergency teams responded immediately to the drone-related incident near the consulate, containing the blaze before fully extinguishing it. Social media footage showed plumes of black smoke rising from the area, and Emirati police vehicles deployed nearby.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the strike during a briefing, noting it hit a parking lot next to the main building and caused a fire, but all US personnel were accounted for. He described US diplomatic facilities as under direct attack from a "terroristic regime" after staff had been reduced to bare-bones levels in anticipation of Iranian retaliation.

US officials suspect Iran carried out the attack, which follows a pattern of drone and missile strikes on American interests across the Gulf amid the ongoing war. The conflict erupted early Saturday with massive US-Israeli strikes that killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, prompting Tehran to launch nearly 400 missiles and 1,000 drones at targets in the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia over the first two days.

Similar incidents include drone strikes on the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia on Monday, causing minor damage, and closures at the US Embassy in Kuwait. Iranian state media claims at least 780 deaths from the initial US-Israeli operation, though unverified, while six US service members have been killed since the war began.

In response, the US Mission to the UAE issued a security alert urging Americans to shelter in place, away from windows, with supplies ready. The US Embassy in Abu Dhabi and Consulate in Dubai cancelled all visa, citizen services, and notary appointments through at least March 4. Rubio said the State Department is arranging charter, military, and expanded commercial flights to evacuate Americans from 14 Middle Eastern countries as airspace restrictions complicate efforts.

Dubai authorities reaffirmed their commitment to public safety, warning against spreading unverified information online, which violates UAE law. The UAE has not publicly attributed the strike to Iran.