Airspaces closure across ME following Iran-Israel strikes

Iran and Israel both closed their airspaces, resulting in heavy disruption. However, this disruption will further intensify – and will have impacts globally – as more and more countries in the region close their airspaces. Iran is now targeting US airbases across the region.

In the last few moments, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Iraq and Qatar have all closed their airspaces following the intensification of the conflict between Iran and Israel. On Saturday morning, the United States and Israel launched strikes against several cities in Iran, which was met with retaliatory missiles, according to different international news ahencies including AFP, Al Jazeera and BBC.

Bahrain’s National Communication Centre confirmed that a missile attack was perpetrated against the service centre of the US Navy’s 5th Fleet located in the country. “The public is urged to follow instructions issued by the relevant official authorities and to obtain information from official sources only,” it said.

It is now emerging that explosions have also been heard in Doha, the BBC reports.

Which countries have closed their airspaces?

The United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Iraq, Israel and Iran have closed their airspaces at the time of publication. The UAE said in a statement that it had temporarily and “partially” closed its airspace as a precautionary measure. It is worth noting that the country is home to Dubai and Abu Dhabi which are among the busiest airports in the world. This will undoubtedly mean disruption will spread beyond the region’s borders.

Escalations in the conflict have meant alarms were sounding in Bahrain and Qatar. Subsequently, citizens have been asked to shelter in place and the airspace has been closed. Syrian airspace also appears to be largely closed.

The airspace over both countries has already cleared, while at the time of publication flights are still circling over UAE airspace. This is a developing story.

Air India has announced the suspension of all its flights to the Middle East.

Qatar Airways confirms the suspension of all flights

In a statement published on social media, Qatar Airways confirmed that it would be suspending all its flights “to, and from, Doha due to the closure of Qatari airspace.”

It added that it was working “closely with government stakeholders and the relevant authorities to support impacted passengers and will resume operations when the airspace re-opens.”

It expects disruption to continue once the airspace has reopened, and has committed to deploy “additional ground staff at Hamad International Airport and other key airports to assist affected passengers.”

Israel-US attack Iran

Israel launched a pre-emptive attack against Iran on Saturday, and a United States attack is underway, plunging the Middle East into a renewed military confrontation and further dimming hopes for a diplomatic solution to Tehran's nuclear dispute with the West.

The US military initiated a series of strikes against targets in Iran, two US officials told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity. The scope of the air and sea operations was not immediately clear. Iran was preparing a crushing retaliation, an Iranian official told Reuters.

A source told Reuters that Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was not in Tehran and had been transferred to a secure location.

The attack follows a 12-day air war in June between Israel and Iran and repeated U.S.-Israeli warnings that they would strike again if Iran pressed ahead with its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

Trump says US 'may have casualties' in Iran attack

President Donald Trump warned Saturday that US forces could take casualties in what he called a massive attack on Iran to destroy the country's military and spark a popular revolt against the government.

"The lives of courageous American heroes may be lost and we may have casualties," Trump said in his video address announcing the start of the bombing campaign.

Blasts heard over Jerusalem

AFP journalists heard several blasts over Jerusalem on Saturday following air raid sirens in the city, after the Israeli military said it had detected multiple barrages of missiles launched from Iran.

"An additional barrage of missiles was launched towards the State of Israel. The public is requested to continue to follow the instructions of the Home Front Command, the public is requested to stay in protected spaces until official notice," the military said in a statement.

Army says additional barrage of missiles launched towards Israel

The Israeli military said Saturday it had identified an additional barrage of missiles launched towards Israel, after it announced it was striking targets in Iran.

"An additional barrage of missiles was launched towards the State of Israel," the military said.

"The public is requested to continue to follow the instructions of the Home Front Command. The public is requested to stay in protected spaces until official notice."

Russia suspends flights to Iran and Israel

The Russian Ministry of Transport said on Saturday that Russian air carriers had suspended flights to Iran and Israel.

Israel said it launched a pre-emptive attack against Iran on Saturday, pushing the Middle East into a renewed military confrontation and further dimming hopes for a diplomatic solution to Tehran's long-running nuclear dispute with the West.

The ministry said that in connection with the closure of Iranian and Israeli airspace, Russian air carriers, in cooperation with the ministry and Rosaviatsiya aviation watchdog had worked out alternative flight routes in advance to ensure safe flights to the Persian Gulf countries.

Flight times will increase due to the longer distances, it said.

Explosions heard In Abu Dhabi, Qatar intercepts Iranian missile

Explosions were heard in the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi, and a missile was intercepted by Qatari missile defence hours after Israel and the US conducted joint attacks on Iran, plunging the Middle East into a renewed military confrontation.

It was not immediately clear if the US air bases in Abu Dhabi and Qatar's Doha were attacked.

In Abu Dhabi, the UAE Air Force and the US Air Force share the Al Dhafra Air Base. The UAE had earlier had closed its airspace "temporarily and partially" as an exceptional precautionary measure.

In Doha, the 24-hectare Al Udeid Air Base is the forward headquarters for US Central Command.

The photo shows US military bases in Middle East. Photo: Collected

US Fleet Attacked In Bahrain

Bahrain also said that a missile attack targeted the US Navy's 5th Fleet headquarters in Manama.

"The Fifth Fleet's service centre was subjected to a missile attack. We will provide you with details later," Bahrain's National Communication Centre said in a statement.

The US Navy's Fifth Fleet area of responsibility includes the Gulf, Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and parts of the Indian Ocean.

More explosions in Abu Dhabi and Dubai

We are getting multiple reports of explosions taking place in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, reports Al Jazeera.

This is in addition to an earlier attack on Abu Dhabi where the air space has been closed already.

Iran says armed forces ‘fully prepared’ to make ‘aggressors regret their actions’

Iran’s foreign ministry says Israeli attacks this morning have targeted the country’s “territorial integrity and national sovereignty, including defensive infrastructure and non-military locations in various cities across the country”.

“The renewed military aggression by the United States and the Zionist regime against Iran constitutes a violation of international law and the principles of the United Nations Charter. The Islamic Republic of Iran considers this aggression a clear breach of international peace and security and emphasises that it reserves its legitimate right to respond decisively,” the ministry said in a statement.

“The Iranian nation has always demonstrated patience and restraint to prevent escalation and preserve regional stability,” it read, adding that the armed forces stand “fully prepared to defend the country and will make aggressors regret their actions”.

The statement added that the attacks by the US and Israel were a “clear example of armed aggression” and cited Article 51 of the UN Charter about Iran’s right to self-defence.

“History shows that Iranians have never surrendered to aggression. This time as well, Iran’s response will be decisive, and aggressors will regret their hostile actions,” it added.

Russian official says US shows ‘true colours’ with attack on Iran

Dmitry Medvedev, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin who is currently the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, has accused the US of using nuclear talks with Iran as a cover-up ahead of military operations.

“The peacemaker has once again shown his true colours,” Medvedev said on Telegram.

“All negotiations with Iran are a cover operation. No one doubted that. No one really wanted to agree on anything.”

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