The looming threat of all-out war in the Middle East has plunged Dubai into chaos, with flights suspended or delayed as Brits prepare for a mass exodus from the expat paradise.
The news comes as the world holds its breath ahead of an expected retaliatory strike by Israel against Iran following Tehran’s unprecedented missile bombardment on Tuesday night.
The Iranians fired a staggering 180 ballistic missiles in response to Israel’s continued attacks on the Hezbollah terrorist group in Lebanon, with dramatic footage showing some landing on Israeli neighborhoods and military sites.
Although widely considered ineffective, with most of the munitions shot down by Israel’s high-tech Iron Dome air defense system, the attack was a major escalation and has brought the tinderbox region to the brink of war.
An Israeli counterattack could come as soon as this afternoon, defense sources have warned, and could see missiles hit Iran’s oil fields, military bases and even key nuclear facilities.
And as the crisis deepens, major airlines such as Emirates and flydubai have canceled flights from Dubai to the United Kingdom, Oman and Kuwait, as well as Iraq, Iran and Jordan, amid fears that passenger planes could be trapped. in the crossfire.
Riots are expected today and Saturday as the news will come as a blow to tourists flying to Dubai, which lies directly south of Iran, or returning home after luxury trips to this Middle Eastern wonder.
Flights to and from Dubai (pictured) have been canceled today and tomorrow amid fears that Israel could launch a missile attack on Iran.
The news has thrown the travel plans of thousands of people into chaos, and Britons have been left stranded in the Middle East as the war threatens to spill over. In the photo: the Dubai palm
This follows a new wave of fighting that saw more Israeli airstrikes against Beirut in Lebanon overnight, ahead of a feared IDF counterattack against Iran.
Terrifying images taken from the cockpit of a plane flying over the Middle East showed the moment a barrage of Iranian missiles streaked through the night sky near a passenger plane.
“Customers transiting through Dubai with final destinations in Iraq, Iran and Jordan will not be accepted for travel at their point of origin until further notice,” Emirates warned in a travel update.
The chaos comes as former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak predicted that the IDF could mount a large-scale airstrike on critical Iranian oil refineries and possibly a symbolic attack on a military target linked to Tehran’s nuclear program.
‘Israel has a pressing need, even an imperative, to respond. “I think no sovereign nation on Earth could fail to respond,” Barak said in an interview.
The former prime minister, who also served as defense minister, foreign minister and army chief of staff, warned that the pattern of the Israeli response could be seen in Sunday’s retaliatory airstrikes against oil facilities, power plants and Houthi-controlled docks in the Yemeni port of Hodeidah, a day after the Houthis fired missiles aimed at Israel’s international airport outside Tel Aviv.
“I think we could see something like that. It could be a massive attack and it could repeat itself more than once,” he told Guardian.
President Joe Biden said Thursday that there had been discussions in Washington about a possible Israeli attack on Iran’s oil sector, but he gave no clear indication whether the United States would support such an attack.
And as tensions continue to rise, panicked travel operators have attempted to suspend flights to the region.
This followed chilling images earlier this week from the cockpit of a plane flying over the Middle East as Iranian missiles streaked through the sky below them.
Other passenger airlines have modified their routes, causing delays.
Normally, the planes would travel over Germany, Austria and the Balkans to Türkiye, flying the length of the country and turning southeast after passing Syria. Depending on the airline and its policies, the usual route is via Iraq or Iran to the Gulf.
However, since airspace was closed following the Iranian missile attack, planes have taken longer routes, with some flying over the Mediterranean and Egypt before flying over the Red Sea and then heading east over Saudi Arabia.
Flames rise from Israeli airstrikes in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, early Friday
A large number of operators have already suspended flights in the region, with Europe’s largest low-cost airline, Ryanair, canceling flights to and from Tel Aviv until October 26, while EasyJet will not resume flights to the city of Israel until March 30, 2025.
Airlines flying from Europe to the Gulf from Tuesday to Wednesday also suffered serious disruption, the Independent reported, with Emirates and Qatar Airways – the Middle East’s two biggest airlines – diverting dozens of flights, the independent said.
The closed skies over Iraq and Iran saw some unusual maneuvers, including an Air France plane from Paris to Mumbai that turned over northern Iraq and flew back to Charles de Gaulle airport.
Meanwhile, British Airways was also affected: a plane from London Heathrow to Dubai was diverted at the end of its journey to Larnaca in Cyprus to refuel, and a Singapore-Heathrow flight was diverted to Dubai when its normal route was closed.
So far the Foreign Office has not warned Britons to avoid traveling to the UAE. However, he has urged UK citizens to remain alert, adding that “ongoing hostilities between Israel and Lebanon could escalate rapidly and pose risks to the entire region.”
The government has also warned tourists traveling to the region that “terrorists are likely to attempt to carry out attacks” in destinations that welcome millions of tourists each year.
This means that popular areas such as transport networks, beaches, hotels, restaurants and shopping centers could be at risk of attack.
Flights from Dubai to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, remain operational despite the disruptions.
It comes after terrifying images were taken from the cockpit of a plane flying over the Middle East showing the moment a barrage of Iranian missiles were launched into the night sky on Tuesday night, as Tehran fired projectiles towards Israel.
Beirut burned again last night after an Israeli airstrike in the south of the city
Residents check out the destruction following an Israeli attack in the Mreijeh neighborhood in Beirut’s southern suburbs on October 4.
Smoke rises over buildings in Beirut, Lebanon, on September 27 after an airstrike.
People and rescuers gather near the rubble of a building destroyed in the Israeli airstrike
According to the New York Post, the video, which shows missiles launched from around Shiraz, Iran, was captured by the pilot of a flight bound for Dubai.
While none of the missiles made contact with the plane, it is clear how close they were to the plane, suggesting that Iran did not ensure that the airways were clear before launching its attack on Israel.
As a result, airlines rushed to divert their flights over the Middle East when Iranian missiles were launched toward Israel around 7:30 p.m. local time.
Flight trackers showed a gap in the airspace between Iran and Israel as planes flew around both countries to avoid crossfire.