Dubai, Abu Dhabi highlights: Qatar says attacks will disrupt 17% of LNG export; 3 drones intercepted in Saudi Arabia

QatarEnergy's liquefied natural gas (LNG) production facilities, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran

Dubai, Abu Dhabi highlights: Crude loadings at Saudi Arabia’s key Red Sea port of Yanbu were briefly halted following a strike in the vicinity, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The disruption comes even as Iran issued a fresh warning that it would target energy infrastructure across the region if its own facilities are attacked. Iran military's operational command Khatam Al-Anbiya reportedly said "We warn the enemy that you made a major mistake.”

Several schools and universities in UAE have decided to go online amid the raging Iran-US war that has triggered simmering tensions in the region. Online classes will continue for two weeks after the spring break for the safety of students, the Khaleej Times reported.

Dubai residents on Thursday morning received fresh alert on their mobile phones about the possibility of Iranian missiles heading towards the city. Meanwhile, Kuwait said it had shot down Iranian drones on Thursday morning as the gulf war continues to rage.

Hong Kong aviation giant Cathay Pacific has suspended its flights to and from Dubai till April 30 in view of the simmering tensions in the Middle East.

Earlier, a projectile hit a vessel off the coast of the United Arab Emirates near the Strait of Hormuz, causing a fire, a British naval maritime security agency said on Thursday. The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said it had received a report at 2300 GMT on Wednesday "that a vessel has been hit by an unknown projectile which has resulted in a fire on board" off the UAE port of Khor Fakkan in the Gulf of Oman, AFP reported.

Meanwhile the UAE has called Iran's attacks on its Habshan gas facility and Bab field 'a dangerous escalation.' The fresh round of offensive comes after Israel launched attacks on Iran's South Pars natural gas field, with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warning of “uncontrollable consequences" that "could engulf the entire world.”

Here are the key points on situation in UAE and other Gulf nations:

• As Iran retaliated by hitting gas facilities in Qatar, Qatar in response ordered Iranian Embassy officials to leave the country within 24 hours.
• Tehran also struck the Habshan gas facility and Bab field in the United Arab Emirates, which the government there called a “dangerous escalation” in the Islamic Republic’s war against Israel and the United States.
• US President Donald Trump pledged Israel would not carry out attacks on Iran’s major South Pars gas field, but if Iran attacked Qatar again the US would retaliate and “massively blow up the entirety” of the field.
• Qatar foreign ministry condemned Iran's attack on the neighbouring Gulf nations and said that Iran had ‘crossed all red lines’ by targeting civilians, civilian objects, and vital facilities.
• Authorities in Abu Dhabi say the gas operations had been shut down after interceptions over the sites.
• Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister has slammed Iran after overnight attacks. “What little trust there was before has completely been shattered,” Prince Faisal bin Farhan was quoted as saying by AP.
• Hong Kong aviation giant Cathay Pacific has suspended its Dubai operations till April 30. "In view of the developing situation in the Middle East, all Cathay Pacific flights to and from Dubai have been cancelled up to and including 30 April 2026," the company said in a statement on Wednesday.