Rubio Urges Media to Help Evacuate Americans as Iranian Drone Hits Near US Consulate in Dubai
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday made a public appeal for news organizations to help amplify emergency contact information for Americans trying to leave the Middle East, saying thousands may still be in affected areas as airspace closures and ongoing missile and drone attacks complicate evacuation efforts.
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| File Photo Via Sec Rubio |
Rubio said the State Department believes roughly 1,500 Americans remain in affected areas and is working to assist them, though evacuations are complicated by widespread airspace closures.
“We know that we’re going to be able to help them,” Rubio said, adding that officials do not control regional airspace restrictions and need additional Americans in the region to identify themselves.
The State Department directed citizens to enroll in its Smart Traveler Enrollment Program to receive security updates and provided 24-hour consular assistance numbers for those seeking help from abroad or from within the United States and Canada.
The appeal came as Rubio confirmed that an Iranian drone struck a parking lot outside the U.S. consulate in Dubai, igniting a small fire. He said all consulate personnel had been accounted for and noted that staffing had already been reduced in anticipation of escalating hostilities.
Dubai authorities later said the fire was fully extinguished, emergency teams responded immediately and no injuries were reported.
The United Arab Emirates said it has been attacked by approximately 1,000 Iranian drones and missiles since the conflict escalated. In a breakdown released by its Defense Ministry, the UAE said it detected more than 800 drones, of which 57 struck inside its territory, and 186 ballistic missiles, with only one impact reported.
It said all eight cruise missiles launched were intercepted. The figures could not be independently verified. The UAE reiterated that it is not a party to the U.S.-Israel war against Iran and has not authorized the use of its territory for attacks on Iran, while asserting its right to self-defense.
On Capitol Hill, Rubio defended the administration’s decision to launch strikes against Iran, saying President Donald Trump acted to prevent U.S. forces from being hit first and to deny what he described as a “terroristic regime” access to nuclear weapons.
He said the timing presented a unique opportunity and rejected suggestions that Washington had been forced into action. Lawmakers are receiving briefings as questions mount over the campaign’s scope, cost and long-term objectives.
Beyond the Middle East, the war’s political reverberations extended to Latin America, where dozens of Venezuelan government supporters marched in Caracas in solidarity with Iran and mourning Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed at the outset of the conflict.
Demonstrators expressed support for Iran’s diplomatic representation in Venezuela, reflecting how the confrontation is influencing alliances far beyond the immediate theater.
Taken together, the developments highlight the converging dynamics the vulnerability of diplomatic sites in Gulf cities despite layered air defenses, the growing urgency of civilian evacuations amid airspace disruptions, and the sharpening political debate in Washington over the rationale and trajectory of the war.
While the tempo of Iranian missile and drone launches has slowed in some areas, the strike near the Dubai consulate demonstrates that projectiles continue to penetrate regional airspace.
The conflict now spans military exchanges, civilian evacuations, diplomatic security and global political alignment. With Gulf states asserting neutrality while defending their territory, U.S. officials mobilizing evacuation channels and regional capitals bracing for further strikes, the war appears to be settling into a sustained phase in which protection of civilians and diplomatic infrastructure is becoming as central as battlefield objectives.