What began with a joint US-Israeli attack on Iran – has now spread to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, among other key hubs that bore the brunt as the Islamic Republic launched retaliatory attacks on Saturday. Several reports even called for an evacuation at the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building.
Videos and photos on social media showed plumes of smoke billowing from a prominent Dubai hotel that sparked the Iranian airstrike.
One civilian was also reported dead in Abu Dhabi.
Here’s a quick look at the top news on the situation in Dubai as the Middle East seethes amid US-Israeli “Operation Fury”.
6. Airport disruptions throughout the region went beyond flight cancellations. Kuwait’s Civil Aviation Authority said a drone struck the country’s airport, leaving several people with minor injuries and causing “limited” damage to a passenger building, Bloomberg reported.
7. At Doha airport, which handles about 1,000 flights a day, there were chaotic scenes reminiscent of last June, when scattered Iranian strikes on Qatar temporarily stranded 20,000 passengers, US media reported.
8. Iraq, Syria and Kuwait announced at least a partial closure of their airspace after seeing smoke over Tehran and Iranian retaliatory strikes across the region.
9. As a result of the strikes, oil and gas tankers are increasingly avoiding the Strait of Hormuz — a critical route connecting the oil-rich Persian Gulf to open waters — with large numbers of vessels staying off the waterway while some have already returned, a Bloomberg report said.
10. Speaking about the joint strike the US launched with Israel, Donald Trump reportedly said his main concern was “freedom” for the Iranian people.
Why is Iran targeting US bases in the Middle East?
According to an AFP report, Iran’s barrage of missiles in retaliation for US and Israeli strikes could be heard across much of the region, including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, as well as Israel and Iraq, after Tehran vowed to respond violently if attacked.
“Iranian armed forces consider the sites from which American and Zionist operations were carried out as legitimate targets,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Iranian television.
