Dubai, Abu Dhabi, UAE News Highlights: Iran’s South Pars field ‘targeted’ in Israeli attack; IndiGo to run 26 flights

Qatar Interior Ministry confirms fire in Ras Laffan area following Iranian attack

Civil defense teams deployed to contain blaze at key industrial zone

Incident linked to escalating regional tensions involving Iran

Ras Laffan, a major energy hub, placed on high alert

Emergency response underway; extent of damage not immediately clear

"A drone attempting to approach a gas factory in the Eastern Province was intercepted and destroyed; the interception and destruction operation resulted in no damage," the Saudi defence ministry said.

Smoke seen rising over Manama after reported Iranian drone strike near Bahrain International Airport

Drone attack targets fuel storage facility in Muharraq.

Attack adds to series of Iranian drone and missile strikes across Bahrain and neighboring states (Reuters)

Indian carrier IndiGo announced 26 flights between West Asia and India on March 19. The flights will run to and from key cities in the Middle East such as Dubai, Istanbul, Muscat and Jeddah and Indian cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Kochi, Bengaluru, Kochi and Hyderabad. The flights will operate on March 19, 2026.

SpiceJet said it has successfully operated 100+ flights and will operate additional flights from the UAE to India in the coming days.

“Passengers are requested to check flight status before leaving for the airport,” it added.

Check list of SpiceJet flights scheduled between March 19 and 22, to and from Dubai, here:

The alarm siren has been activated in Bahrain, its Interior ministry posted on X. “Citizens and residents are requested to remain calm, head to the nearest safe location, and follow updates through official channels,” it added.

Qatari government official Majed Al Ansari posted on X: "The Israeli targeting of facilities linked to Iran’s South Pars field, an extension of Qatar’s North Field, is a dangerous & irresponsible step amid the current military escalation in the region.

Targeting energy infrastructure constitutes a threat to global energy security, as well as to the peoples of the region & its environment.

We reiterate, as we have repeatedly emphasized, the necessity of avoiding the targeting of vital facilities. We call on all parties to exercise restraint, adhere to international law, & work toward de-escalation in a manner that preserves the security & stability of the region."

Iran orders urgent evacuation warning for petrochemical facilities across Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE.

Aseem R Mahajan, Additional Secretary (Gulf), Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), said the MEA "continues to monitor developments" in the Gulf and the West Asia region "very closely".

On Wednesday, Additional Secretary (Gulf), Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Aseem R Mahajan, said roughly 70 flights were expected to operate from several airports in the UAE to different destinations in India.

Mahajan made these remarks at an inter-ministerial briefing on the ongoing situation in West Asia.

Amid the escalating West Asia conflict, the government on Wednesday said around 2.6 lakh people have returned from the region to India since February

Sultan al-Jaber, the UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, who also serves as CEO of the country’s ADNOC oil giant, said in an interview, “Any long-term political settlement must address the full spectrum of threats, including Iran’s nuclear program, ballistic missile capabilities, and their network of regional proxies,” News18 reported.

UAE's Ministry of Defense, in a post on X, said that it is on high alert and readiness to deal with any threats and to firmly counter all attempts to undermine the state's security, ensuring the preservation of its sovereignty, security, and stability, and protecting its national interests and capabilities.

Since the start of Iran's brazen attacks, UAE air defenses have intercepted 327 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles, and 1,699 drones.

In a post on X, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) defence ministry said the country's air defenses on 18 March, intercepeted 13 ballistic missiles and 27 drones originating from Iran.

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday (local time) said that Beijing will continue mediating for a ceasefire in the Middle East and an end to fighting in the region.

Wang Yi said that the war should never have happened and had no reason to continue.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Wednesday said, "The Prime Minister spoke to the President of the UAE, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, yesterday...The two leaders discussed the current situation in West Asia. The Prime Minister reiterated India's strong condemnation of all attacks on the UAE that have resulted in loss of innocent lives and damage to civilian infrastructure. The two leaders agreed on the importance of ensuring safe and free navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. Both leaders will continue to work together for the early restoration of peace, security, and stability in the region..."

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) central bank (CBUAE) unveiled a package to help bolster banks' liquidity, marking its most significant policy move since the pandemic, as Gulf economies move to weather the impact of the Iran crisis

On Wednesday (local time), China's foreign minister said that they are firmly supporting the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in safeguarding its sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity. The minister has also condemned attacks against civilian and civilian facilities.

In a post on X, the UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs emphasized that the security situation throughout the country is stable and that readiness levels are at their highest

A video is widely shared on social media, with many claiming that it shows a massive Iranian strikes in Dubai. Mint could not very the video.

The Indian-flagged crude oil tanker 'Jag Laadki' arrived at Adani Ports Mundra in Gujarat. It carried approximately 80,886 metric tonnes (MT) of crude oil—sourced from the UAE—loaded at Fujairah Port, news agency ANI reported while sharing a video of the tanker sailing through the waters.

A large gas field in the United Arab Emirates was set ablaze after a drone strike and a vital oil port was halted again, piling pressure on energy markets and supply with each day that the Iran war goes on.

Missile alerts sounded in Dubai again Wednesday morning as the noise of interceptors exploding overhead boomed across the city-state. Dubai authorities said all the interceptions had been successful with no injuries.

Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. has extended the cancellation of passenger and cargo flights to and from Dubai and Riyadh until April 30, joining a growing list of carriers to pull Middle East services further into the year.

In a post on X, Dubai Media Office said, “Authorities in Dubai confirm the success of all air interception operations, with no injuries reported. Please rely on official sources for updates.”

About 90 ships including oil tankers have crossed the Strait of Hormuz since the outset of the war with Iran and it is still exporting millions of barrels of oil at a time when the waterway has been effectively closed, according to maritime and trade data platforms. (AP)

Iranian strikes near Gulf countries' urban areas are due to U.S. forces relocating out of military bases into hotels inside cities, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told Al Jazeera in remarks relayed in Iranian media on Wednesday, as reported by Reuters.

Iran lashed out following the killing of one of its top leaders in an airstrike with attacks on its Gulf neighbours and Israel on Wednesday, using some of its latest missiles to evade air defences and killing two near Tel Aviv as the war in the Middle East showed no signs of slowing. (AP)

The International Maritime Organization will begin an "extraordinary session" on Wednesday to discuss shipping amid the Middle East war, as fears grow over the fate of thousands of stranded ships and seafarers, AFP ne

An Iranian missile barrage killed two people near Israel's commercial hub Tel Aviv, medics said Wednesday, with the national railway company announcing shrapnel impact disrupted train services, AFP reported.

About 90 ships including oil tankers have crossed the Strait of Hormuz since the outset of the war with Iran and it is still exporting millions of barrels of oil at a time when the waterway has been effectively closed, according to maritime and trade data platforms. (AP)

Iran targeted Tel Aviv with missiles carrying cluster warheads in what it said was retaliation for Israel's assassination of Iran's security chief Ali Larijani, Iranian state television reported on Wednesday, as reported by Reuters.

Israel's military issued an evacuation call for residents of four towns in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, warning of imminent strikes targeting Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, AFP reported.

Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry has announced that it will host "the foreign ministers of a group of Arab and Islamic countries" for a high-level meeting in the capital, Riyadh, on Wednesday evening, as reported by ANI.

Iran vowed on Wednesday a "decisive" retaliation for the death of its security chief Ali Larijani, firing off a wave of missiles at Israel which said it killed him in an air strike, AFP reported.

An Iranian projectile hit near Australia's military headquarters for the Middle East in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday but caused no injuries, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, as reported by AFP.

It landed at 9:15 Sydney time (2215 GMT Tuesday) near the Al Minhad base. "I can confirm that no Australian personnel were injured, and everyone is absolutely safe," Albanese told reporters. The projectile caused "minor damage" to an accommodation block and a medical facility, the Australian leader said. (AFP)

Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry has announced that it will host "the foreign ministers of a group of Arab and Islamic countries" for a high-level meeting in the capital, Riyadh, on Wednesday evening, as reported by ANI.

China won't help the United States reopen the Strait of Hormuz as requested by President Donald Trump, but it is probably welcoming the delay in Trump's highly anticipated trip to Beijing as the US risks getting bogged down in the Middle East, analysts say, as reported by PTI.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf has warned that the situation in the Strait of Hormuz will not return to its "pre-war state.

In a post on X, Qalibaf said, "The Strait of Hormuz situation won't return to its pre-war status."

The US military said Tuesday it had hit Iranian missile sites near the strategic Strait of Hormuz with some of the most powerful bombs in the US arsenal.

"US forces successfully employed multiple 5,000-pound deep penetrator munitions on hardened Iranian missile sites along Iran's coastline near the Strait of Hormuz," Central Command said in a statement on X.

"The Iranian anti-ship cruise missiles in these sites posed a risk to international shipping in the strait." (AFP)

Yousef Pezeshkian, the son of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, wrote on the messaging app Telegram that Israel’s constant killing of top officials couldn’t be allowed to go on, AP reported.

“We should not have allowed the enemy to be able to carry out another successful assassination,” he wrote.

“If we cannot stop the Zionists’ assassination machine, we will suffer a defeat.” (AP)

The International Atomic Energy Agency said early Wednesday it received a report from Iran that its Bushehr nuclear power plant complex had been hit by a projectile.

The carefully worded statement from the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog represented the first word outside of either Iran or Russia about the incident Tuesday.

Iran and Russia have alleged a strike hit near the Bushehr nuclear power plant on the Persian Gulf on Tuesday, causing no release of atomic material or injury but again raising the specter of a radiological release in the war, as reported by AP.

Israel killed two senior Iranian security officials in a major blow to the Islamic Republic's leadership as it faces its greatest test in decades, and Iran responded Wednesday with renewed missile and drone attacks on its Gulf Arab neighbors and Israel, AP reported.

Trump said "we no longer need" help reopening the Strait of Hormuz, after his request for allies to quickly send warships was snubbed.

"We have had such Military Success, we no longer 'need,' or desire, the NATO Countries' assistance -- WE NEVER DID!" Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. "WE DO NOT NEED THE HELP OF ANYONE!"

Iran and Russia have alleged a strike hit near the Bushehr nuclear power plant on the Persian Gulf on Tuesday, causing no release of atomic material or injury but again raising the specter of a radiological release in the war, as reported by AP.