As the war between the United States, Israel and Iran enters its fifth day, Iran continues to step up its retaliatory attacks against American diplomatic missions in the Middle East, with the latest drone attack being launched near the US consulate in Dubai on Tuesday night. Following reports of the attack, the Dubai Media Office shared images informing the public that the fire had been extinguished, and Dubai authorities reaffirmed “their commitment to ensuring the safety of everyone.”
The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs highlighted that the country was exposed to more than 1,000 attacks by Iran since it launched retaliatory strikes in the region in response to attacks by the United States and Israel. These attacks, since February 28, have left three people dead in the United Arab Emirates, and the country’s Ministry of Defense stated that 58 residents of multiple nationalities suffered minor injuries.
The Ministry stated that it did not allow its territory to be used in any attack against Iran and that it made no decision to change its defensive posture in the face of attacks. Reuters reported.
Flight operations affected, evacuations in progress
Tens of thousands of passengers remain stranded at major airports in the United Arab Emirates, including Dubai International Airport, in what appears to be the worst air travel crisis since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Governments of countries whose citizens reside in parts of the United Arab Emirates have continued to direct efforts to return stranded travelers home following the cancellation of more than 20,000 flights in recent days. According to Flightradar24, some 21,300 flights have been canceled at seven major airports, including Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi, since the strikes began.
Amid the crisis, demand for charter flights appears to have skyrocketed, with some paying up to 200,000 euros ($232,000) as major airports remain closed, according to the agency. Associated Press reported. Travelers prefer to pay large sums of money for luxury flights to Europe via airports that are safe from Iranian drone and missile attacks.
Meanwhile, Emirates airline suspended all commercial operations to and from Dubai until 11:59 pm (UAE time) on March 4. Etihad Airways has suspended all commercial services from Abu Dhabi until March 5. Both airlines warned passengers not to travel to the airport unless specifically contacted. In addition to these airlines, Flydubai is operating a limited number of flights since Monday, mainly to repatriate stranded passengers, according to a Reuters report.
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Delta Air Lines, on the other hand, said it suspended New York-Tel Aviv flights until March 22 due to the conflict and was offering rebooking options and a travel waiver for affected customers until March 31, according to a Reuters report.
On Tuesday, Virgin Atlantic announced it would resume services as planned between London Heathrow airport and Dubai or Riyadh.
The UAE government reported that they were operating 60 flights in dedicated emergency air corridors to evacuate residents of the region. The next phase will contemplate the operation of more than 80 flights, according to Reuters.
The United Arab Emirates warns citizens
UAE authorities, in an alert issued on Wednesday, advised residents to avoid venturing near debris or ground objects following aerial interceptions of Iranian missiles.
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“Do not approach, touch or photograph any debris or objects that have fallen as a result of successful aerial interceptions, and allow relevant authorities to assess the situation,” it said in a statement. “While some objects may seem harmless, interacting with them can pose safety risks,” it said.
Meanwhile, the Abu Dhabi-based National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA) also warned residents not to leave their homes or stop vehicles for filming when a warning alert is issued.
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India’s efforts
One of the Indian government’s key priorities amid the crisis remains the safety of its nearly 10 million citizens in war-affected West Asian countries.
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In the last few days, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has personally spoken to leaders of several countries in the region, namely, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, expressing his solidarity and thanking them for their continued care and support to the Indian community. The UAE has nearly 3.5 million Indians, Saudi Arabia 2.7 million, Kuwait around one million and Qatar another 8.5 lakh.
Furthermore, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Wednesday that it had set up a Special Control Room in view of the prevailing crisis.
Sharing the update to its X handle, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “A special control room has been created in the Ministry of External Affairs in view of the current situation in West Asia and the Gulf region.”
The Control Room can be contacted between 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. daily. It also shared the emergency contact numbers of its embassies in West Asia.
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Indian airlines’ flight operations to and from West Asian countries are also slowly resuming, with airlines such as Air India now planning to deploy their higher capacity wide-body aircraft on their services to Jeddah and Dubai on March 3 and 4 to facilitate the return of passengers.
SpiceJet also announced early Wednesday eight more special flights that will operate from Fujairah to India.
A day earlier, around 164 passengers who were stranded in Dubai also landed at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had arranged a special flight from Fujairah to India.
US Tips for Citizens in the UAE
Citing “serious security risks,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday urged US citizens to immediately leave Middle Eastern nations, including Iran, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Gaza, the West Bank and the United Arab Emirates, by commercial means.
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The countries included in the advisory are Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel (including the West Bank and Gaza), Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
The State Department also issued helpline numbers for American citizens to provide assistance in arranging commercial means to exit these countries in the Middle East.
It is also securing military and charter flights to evacuate Americans from the Middle East, a US State Department official said on Tuesday, adding that it was in contact with nearly 3,000 US citizens.
