As the conflict between Iran, the US and Israel enters its seventh day, residents of Dubai received an alert from the emirate’s interior ministry on Friday urging them to take cover from potential missile threats as Iran continued its retaliatory campaign across the Persian Gulf.
“Due to the current situation, potential missile threats, immediately seek shelter in the nearest secure building and avoid windows, doors and open spaces,” the alert reads, according to AFP.
This came after the United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Defense said on Thursday that one ballistic missile and six drones had hit the country’s territory. It added that its forces had intercepted six missiles and 131 drones on the same day, and hundreds more since the start of the conflict. Shrapnel from intercepted cruise missiles killed three residents earlier this week, while falling debris has injured 94 others in recent days, the ministry said.
The United Arab Emirates said three civilians, foreign workers from Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan, were killed. At least 68 others were injured, according to the AP agency.
Meanwhile, Indian airlines on Friday stepped up support for affected passengers as tensions escalated in West Asia.
While IndiGo offered a month-long window for free cancellation and rescheduling till March 31, SpiceJet arranged 14 special flights from Fujairah and Dubai to help stranded Indian nationals return home.
Of these, 13 flights will depart from Fujairah and one from Dubai. The airline will operate nine special flights from Fujairah to Mumbai, four from Fujairah to Delhi and one from Dubai to Pune, increasing capacity to bring stranded passengers back to India as quickly as possible.
Indigo reached out to X and said: “The full cancellation waiver for travel to and from the Middle East and Istanbul is extended to 31 March 2026. If you are planning to travel, stay updated on your flight status here http://bit.ly/31paVKQ.”
The war in the Middle East has also forced the World Health Organization to halt operations at its global emergency logistics center in Dubai, the agency’s chief said Thursday. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed concern over the conflict that began on Saturday with US-Israeli attacks on Iran, warning that “the impact goes beyond the countries immediately affected”.
“Operations at the WHO Logistics Center for Global Health Emergencies in Dubai are currently suspended due to uncertainty,” he was quoted as saying by AFP.
The conflict in the Middle East escalated after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei was killed along with other key figures in the Persian Gulf nation on February 28 during US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Tehran retaliated by striking US military bases and other Israeli assets across the region.
