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Airwars Assessment
(Previous Incident Code: IRUAE260308a )
On Saturday, 7 March 2026, a 27-year-old Pakistani father of three named Muzaffar Ali Ghulam was reportedly killed by falling shrapnel following an interception of an alleged Iranian missile, while he was driving a car in the Al Barsha area of Dubai, near the 23 Marina tower, in the United Arab Emirates.
During the evening of March 7, multiple sources, including Al Jazeera and Gulf News cited the Dubai Media Office in announcing that “debris from an aerial interception fell onto a vehicle in the Al Barsha area, killing the driver, a Pakistani national.”
A separate report posted on Facebook stated that a “driver was killed by falling shrapnel after a missile was intercepted and debris struck a luxury residential tower”. The post by “Celebrity Accidents” also shared images reportedly showing plumes of smoke rising from an 88-storey marina building.
Turkiye Today wrote that “an Iranian drone struck the 23 Marina tower in Dubai’s western coastal district on Saturday, with reports indicating the attack targeted what were allegedly Israeli security and command facilities housed inside the high-rise,” and added “The United Arab Emirates’ Dubai media office said that debris from the aerial interception fell onto a vehicle in the Barsha area and killed an “Asian driver.”
Instagram account @nationalherald_nh corroborated this information, writing “Debris from an intercepted Iranian missile struck a residential tower in Dubai Marina, sending smoke rising from the building and briefly alarming residents, authorities in the United Arab Emirates said. Officials said the country’s air defence systems successfully intercepted the incoming threat, but falling debris caused minor damage to the exterior of the tower.”
The UAE also shared a statement issued by the foreign ministry expressing its “sincere condolences and deepest sympathies to the family of the Pakistani national who lost his life as a result of these attacks”, while stressing that “the targeting of civilians and civilian objects is unequivocally condemned and strictly prohibited under international law and humanitarian principles.” Similarly, President Asif Ali Zardari expressed sadness and condolences in a public statement. The Pakistani embassy in the UAE also stated on X/Twitter that it was “profoundly saddened” by the loss of life caused by “falling debris following the interception of an incoming missile”.
On March 17, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted an announcement on X/Twitter that “His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, expressed his deepest condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims of the treacherous Iranian terrorist attacks that targeted the UAE” and listed Muzaffar Ali Ghulam as one of the casualties.
On March 19, The National reported that Muzaffar was “from Hyderabad, Pakistan, was a domestic worker in Dubai and also worked as a driver. He moved to Dubai about four years ago as he wanted to build a life for his wife and three children, aged one to seven-years old.” According to Muzaffar’s brother-in-law, who spoke with the Emirati news outlet, Muzaffar “was killed after an aerial interception as he drove in Al Barsha area of Dubai on March 7.” He added: “Muzaffar spoke of going home for Eid as he had not seen his family for two years … We were together an hour before this happened. But instead he was taken away from us.” The article also included two charming photos of Muzaffar.
According to the Mumbai Mirror, Muzaffar moved to Dubai “four years ago at the invitation of his cousin, hoping to build the house of his dreams back in Pakistan for his family.” The article noted that “the 27-year-old worked 12-hour days as a driver in Dubai, sending most of his salary home to his wife and three children.” In an interview with the news agency, Muzaffar’s cousin said “I miss him, and I still don’t believe he is gone […] sometimes I think he is still here with us.
The statement by the Dubai Media Office does not specify which projectile was intercepted during Saturday’s incident, or from where it was fired. However, other sources, including Egypt Telegraph, Turkiye Today and others attributed the attack to the Iranian military. Therefore, the strike status has been graded as “contested” while the civilian harm was consistently reported across sources, resulting in the civilian harm status of “fair”.
It remains unclear whether the reported civilian harm was caused by the original munition or by an interception. As it is unclear whether the resulting harm should be attributed to the original missile or interception, the civilian harm status for the incident has been recorded as ‘contested,” and UAE military has been recorded as suspected belligerent along with Iranian military.