Suspected drones disrupt Dubai flights

DUBAI — Flights at Dubai's international airport, one of the world's busiest, were briefly disrupted Sunday due to "suspected drone activity", officials said.

Two arriving flights had to be diverted, it said, while media reports said the planes had landed at a smaller airport in the neighbouring emirate of Sharjah. 

"Dubai Airports can confirm that flight arrivals were briefly disrupted at Dubai International from 12:36 (08:36 GMT) to 12:51 (08:51 GMT) UAE local time this afternoon due to suspected drone activity," a spokesperson said in a statement Sunday.

Flights at the airport have been disrupted several times in recent years by recreational drones, with the last incident occurring in February.

However, the latest disruption after military drones were used to stage major attacks on Saudi Arabia, including last week's devastating strike on key oil facilities that knocked out half of Riyadh's crude production.

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels last week threatened to use military drones to strike targets in the United Arab Emirates, which is a key partner in the Saudi-led coalition that has been fighting the Houthis since 2015.

The Houthis have in the past claimed to have targeted the UAE cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi airports with drones, but Emirati authorities have strongly denied any such incident.