Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait News Highlights: Drone attack causes fire in Abu Dhabi industrial complex

In a post on X, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) defence ministry said that on Tuesday, air defenses detected9 ballistic missiles, of which 8 ballistic missiles were destroyed, while 1 ballistic missile fell into the sea. Additionally, 35 drones were detected, of which 26 drones were intercepted, while 9 drones fell within the country's territory.

Airlines in the Middle East are slowly starting to increase flights even as countries continue to intercept missiles and drones from Iran in their skies.

Emirates, the world’s largest international carrier, is operating a reduced flight schedule to about 100 destinations in more than 50 countries. That’s significantly lower than the number of destinations the airline typically serves, and the frequency of flights remains restricted.

As many as 25 flights to the Middle East have been cancelled from the Hyderabad airport and one of them if to Kuwait. Social media is flooded with passengers complaining about disruption in flight services.

Rohit Chalumuri, a traveller posted on X, “I have a flight from Hyderabad to Kuwait and Kuwait to New York. Booking reference: AI6CP4. Can you please confirm if the flights will be running-on 13th March. In the app it's still showing confirmed.”

The UAE Air Defences have intercepted Iranian ballistic, cruise missiles, and drones on their airspace. No more details have been shared so far

Oil prices plummeted 7% on Tuesday after soaring to a more than three-year high in the previous session as U.S. President Donald Trump predicted the war in the Middle East could end soon, easing concerns about prolonged disruptions to oil supplies.

Brent futures were down $7.15, or 7.2%, at $91.81 a barrel by 1307 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was down $6.26, or 6.6%, at $88.51 a barrel. Both contracts fell as much as 11% earlier in the day.

(Reuters)

Al Jazeera has reported that Kuwait’s emir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah has informed the country it was attacked by a neighbouring nation which it considers “sister”. Emir said that they were attacked despite not allowing its territory or airspace to be used against it.

Informing on the fire at an industrial complex, Abu Dhabi Media Office said, “Abu Dhabi authorities are responding to a fire that broke out at a facility in the Ruwais Industrial Complex, caused by a drone attack. No injuries have been reported at this time.”

“The public is reminded to obtain information from official sources only and to avoid spreading rumours or unverified information.”

Abu Dhabi Media Office has alerted that a drone attack has caused a fire in Abu Dhabi industrial complex. No injuries have been reported so far.

In a statement, the media office said, “The competent authorities in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi are dealing with a fire that broke out in one of the facilities within the Ruwais Industrial Complex, resulting from a drone attack, with no injuries recorded so far. The competent authorities have urged the public to obtain information from official sources only, and to avoid circulating rumors or unverified information.”

According to the Bloomberg News reports, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has cut oil output by 500,000 to 800,000 barrels a day, Kuwait by roughly 500,000 barrels.

Amid a severe military escalation in the ongoing conflict, the Embassy of India in Kuwait has announced that all consular services will be operating normally.

The official statement read: “All consular services of Embassy are continuing as usual. The Embassy's four Indian Consular Application Centres (ICACs) are operational following Ramadan working hours (9:00 am - 3:00 pm), with Fridays being closed.”

For emergencies and queries, the embassy is providing a 24x7 helpline and an email address. The Indian citizens are also advised to track the embassy website and social media handles for alerts.

"The ICACs are: Kuwait City: 3rd Floor, Al Jawhara Tower (same building as Indigo Airlines), Ali Al Salem Street. Jleeb Al Shouyakh: M Floor, Nesto Hypermarket Building (Old Olive Hypermarket). Fahaheel: Al Anoud Shopping Complex, M floor, Mekka Street. Jahra: Al Khalifa Building, Building No. 27, 2nd floor, Office nos. 3 and 14, Block 93. In case of emergency or for queries, the Embassy may be contacted by calling the 24x7 helpline 965 6550 1946 or by sending an email to community.kuwait@mea.gov.in. The Embassy is posting advisories, press releases, updates, and information on its social media platforms accessible," it added.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Tuesday it had received a report of an incident 36 nautical miles north of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, with the master of a vessel reporting a splash and a loud bang in close proximity to a bulk carrier.

It is not yet known if the loud bang was linked to the attacks by Iran.

Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait News LIVE: UKMTO has reported an ‘incident’ 36 nautical miles north of Abu Dhabi. It is, however, not clear if the incident is linked to the recent attacks by the Iranian regime. More details are still awaited.

Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait News LIVE: Amid relentless attacks on Dubai even though the UAE was not a part of the original conflict, the Dubai Police have sent out an alert over the warning messages and the correct course of action for those living in the city.

It said, “Your safety is our priority, and warning messages are issued to protect you. Adhering to the directive to head to a safe place and shelter there until the announcement of the end of the danger is the correct action when hearing them.”

Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait News LIVE: Dubai’s flag carrier has restored a larger share of its flight network than other airlines in the Gulf and the wider United Arab Emirates despite the constant missile attacks on the city.

Data from Flightradar24 shows that on Monday, Emirates operated around 60% of the flights it ran before the war began 11 days ago.

Indian-origin chairman of Al Mizan Group, Yogesh Doshi has opened his farmhouse in Dubai city of the UAE, currently under attack from the Iranian regime, to dozens of stranded Indian nationals.

Yogesh Doshi has also provided food and accomodation to the stranded Indians, as per a report.

Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait News LIVE: Oil production across parts of the Middle East has been sharply reduced as the ongoing regional conflict disrupts exports, people with knowledge of the matter told Bloomberg.

The output in the United Arab Emirates has been cut by between 500,000 and 800,000 barrels a day, while Kuwait has reduced production by about 500,000 barrels a day.

Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait News LIVE: Just hours after US President Donald Trump signalled on the duration of the war, fueling uncertaining, Iran launched drone strikes on Kuwait.

Just as the drones were intercepted by the National Guard, they were shot down in the county’s northern and southern areas.

Iran’s latest attacks on neighboring Gulf States come as Trump late Monday told Republican lawmakers that the war was likely to be a “short excursion", but later hinted that the US could increase attacks on Iran.

Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait News LIVE: On Monday, March 9, the authorities in the United Arab Emirates said two persons were wounded after some shrapnels from the intercepted missiles over Aubu Dhabi fell on them. The Emirati Defense Ministry informed that the same day, as many as 15 ballistic missiles and 18 drones were fired at the country by the Iranian regime, as per the agencies.

Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait News LIVE: Despite the disruption due to the Iranian attacks on some of the regions, supermarket shelves across the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have remained stocked.

The food industry had previously proven resilient during the Covid-19 pandemic. This time too, the food industry in the country has continued to rely on logistics networks.

Still, some supplies are now being rerouted or transported by air and road to avoid delays.

Authorities have sought to reassure residents that the country maintains food reserves sufficient for several months. Officials say they are also closely monitoring prices to prevent sharp increases.

Israel's on Tuesday said it would soon strike Hezbollah infrastructure in the southern Lebanese cities of Tyre and Sidon, warning residents to move away from targeted buildings.

"Urgent warning to the residents of Tyre and Sidon. The IDF will soon attack military infrastructure belonging to the terrorist organisation Hezbollah," one of the military's Arabic-language spokesmen, Avichay Adraee, posted on X.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday warned that Israel's military offensive against Iran was “not done yet”.

"Our aspiration is to bring the Iranian people to cast off the yoke of tyranny; ultimately, it depends on them. But there is no doubt that with the actions taken so far, we are breaking their bones -- and we are not done yet," Netanyahu said during a visit to the National Health Command Centre on Monday night, news agency AFP reported.

Turkey on Tuesday said that a Patriot missile defence system was being deployed in the country's centre, a day after NATO intercepted a second ballistic missile fired from Iran in Turkish airspace.

"A Patriot system assigned to support the protection of our airspace is being deployed in Malatya," said a defence ministry statement, as per AFP.

The area is known as the location of the Kurecik air base, which houses a NATO early-warning radar system that can detect Iranian missile launches.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Tuesday that it targeted a US base in Iraq’s Kurdistan region.

“The headquarters of the invading US army in Al-Harir Air Base in the Kurdistan region was targeted with five missiles,” the Guards said in a statement on Telegram on Tuesday, cited by AFP.

The UAE will lower the volume of missile alerts sent to mobile phones in the overnight hours, reported AP on Tuesday.

The UAE’s National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority made the announcement late Monday night, saying that the loud blaring alarm would sound on phones from 9 am until 10:30 pm.

A standard text message chime would sound from 10:30 pm until 9 am, it said.

Blaring missile alerts had sounded for users in the middle of the night since the war began 28 Feb.

The change in the alerts signals how Gulf states are trying to adjust to the idea of a long-drawn war as there’s no immediate sign of an end to the conflict.

Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said Tuesday that Tehran was prepared to continue attacks for as long as necessary and ruled out talks after President Donald Trump said the war with Iran would be over “very soon”, reported AFP.

Araghchi said that his country was prepared to continue missile attacks and that negotiations with the US were no longer on the agenda.

Iran launched new attacks Tuesday at Gulf Arab countries as it keeps up pressure on the region, while five pro-Iranian militants were killed by an airstrike in northern Iraq, reported AP.

Incoming missile sirens sounded early in the morning in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, while Saudi Arabia said it had destroyed two drones over its oil-rich eastern region and Kuwait's National Guard said it had show down six drones.

The Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply normally passes, has become a focal point of the confrontation between US-Israel and Iran, with uncertainty about supply sparking considerable volatility in global energy prices.

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“The United Arab Emirates has strongly condemned and denounced the unprovoked terrorist drone attack that targeted the UAE Consulate General in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, which resulted in material damage with no injuries reported,” the UAE's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said on Tuesday.

The ministry said that “targeting diplomatic missions and premises constitutes a flagrant violation of international norms and laws”, adding “such acts represent a dangerous escalation and a threat to regional security and stability.”

United Arab Emirates (UAE), on Monday claimed that it was being targeted “in a very unwarranted manner” and stressed it would "not partake in any attacks against Iran". “Our bases are not being used to attack Iran,” claimed Jamal Al Musharakh, the UAE's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, reported AFP.

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