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

Dubai Abu Dhabi news LIVE updates: From Beirut to Dubai, Manama to Jerusalem, the holy month of fasting is ending on a bitter note for millions of Muslims unsettled by the Middle East war.

Aziza Ahmad who lives in Lebanon told AFP, “Maybe it’s different for the rich, but the joy of Eid is missing here. We have no money, and the displaced people can’t even go back home,” she said.

Dubai Abu Dhabi news LIVE updates: Dubai’s stability-first model is now being put to the test, with Tehran seen to be targeting airports, tech hubs and even residential buildings, Bloomberg reported.

A growing number of asset managers, hedge fund founders, celebrities and influencers have made Dubai their home in recent years

Dubai Abu Dhabi news LIVE updates: United Arab Emirates authorities said on Friday they had dismantled a "terrorist network" funded and operated by Lebanon's Hezbollah and Iran, and arrested its members.

"The network had been operating within the country under a fictitious commercial cover and sought to infiltrate the national economy and carry out external schemes threatening the country's financial stability," the UAE state news agency said.

Dubai Abu Dhabi news LIVE updates: The European Union, following a meeting of the bloc's leaders in Brussels, called for a "moratorium" meanwhile on strikes against energy and water facilities.

"The European Council calls for de-escalation and maximum restraint, the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure and full respect of international law by all parties," they said.

Dubai Abu Dhabi news LIVE updates: United Arab Emirates authorities said on Friday they had dismantled a "terrorist network" funded and operated by Lebanon's Hezbollah and Iran, and arrested its members.

According to the state news agency, the network was involved in “money laundering, financing terrorism and threatening national security.”

Dubai Abu Dhabi news LIVE updates: UAE says it dismantled a “terrorist network” funded and directed by Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Iran.

It also said that the network was involved in ‘money laundering’ and terrorism financing.

Dubai Abu Dhabi news LIVE updates: Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to leaders from Qatar, France, Jordan, Oman and Malaysia on Thursday, and expressed concern over the evolving situation in West Asia.

In separate telephonic conversations with five leaders, the prime minister highlighted the need for dialogue and diplomacy for an early restoration of peace, security and stability in the region, and laid stress on safe and free navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

Dubai Abu Dhabi news LIVE updates: Natural gas prices in Europe surged as much as 35% on Thursday as Iranian and Israeli strikes targeted some of the Middle East's most important gas infrastructure, doing damage that will likely take years to repair.

The strikes on energy facilities since the onset of the U.S. and Israeli war on Iran have brought to life some of the energy industry's worst fears - that a conflict in the region will leave long-term damage and shortages in global energy supplies.

Dubai Abu Dhabi news LIVE updates: Saudi Arabia reserves the right to act militarily against Iran and any trust with Tehran has been shattered, the Saudi foreign minister said early on Thursday, after Riyadh was targeted by Iranian ballistic missiles.

In the harshest comments to come out of the Gulf kingdom since the war started, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan accused Iran of premeditated hostile actions against its neighbours, both directly and via an array of regional proxies which he urged Tehran to rein in.

Dubai Abu Dhabi news LIVE updates: An increasing number of purchasers and importers scrambling to secure liquefied natural gas turned to the US on Thursday after the latest attack on Qatar’s massive LNG complex further strained global supplies of the fuel.

Companies looking to import LNG have gone directly to US fuel sellers, either producers or offtakers with long-term contracts, according to people with knowledge of the matter, Bloomberg reported.

Dubai Abu Dhabi news LIVE updates: Qatar Energy on Thursday said that the Iranian attack on the oil facility disrupted 17 per cent of the LNG export capacity.

Earlier. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani also condemned Iran’s attacks on Qatar’s main gas hub, following strikes that targeted Gulf energy infrastructure a day earlier.

Dubai Abu Dhabi news LIVE updates: The United Arab Emirates welcomes the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) Council decision during its 36th extraordinary session to strongly condemn Iranian threats and attacks against vessels and its purported closure of the Strait of Hormuz as contrary to the purposes of the IMO and representing a grave danger to life, particularly seafarers, and serious risk to the marine environment.

The Council further condemned in the strongest terms Iran's attacks against the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) States and Jordan, calling the attacks a breach of international law.

Dubai Abu Dhabi news LIVE updates: Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE denounced the Iranian attacks. Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit called them a “dangerous escalation.”

Brent crude oil, the international standard, briefly surged above $119 a barrel, up more than 60% since Israel and the United States started the war. The European benchmark for natural gas prices also rose sharply and has roughly doubled in the past month.

Dubai Abu Dhabi news LIVE updates: US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he had told Israel not to repeat its attacks on Iranian natural gas infrastructure as tit-for-tat strikes on energy plants sent energy prices spiralling, sharply escalating the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Trump's comment came as energy prices jumped sharply higher on Thursday after Iran responded to an Israeli attack on a major gas field by hitting Qatar's Ras Laffan Industrial City.

Dubai Abu Dhabi news LIVE updates: Authorities and businesses in the UAE and across the Gulf region are working overtime to ensure supplies of essential goods amid an unprecedented spell of conflict and uncertainty following the joint US-Israeli attack on Iran on February 28.

While calm has prevailed on the ground and no instances of hoarding have been reported, concerns remain about tightening supplies, leading to a marginal price rise.

Dubai Abu Dhabi news LIVE updates: Saudi Arabia’s ministry of defence said that three drones were intercepted and destroyed in the Eastern Region, reported Khaleej Times.

Dubai Abu Dhabi news LIVE updates: US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he is not deploying ground troops to Iran.

“If I were, I certainly wouldn't tell you. But I'm not putting troops,” Trump told reporters as he met Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

Dubai Abu Dhabi news LIVE updates: Kuwait said its air defence systems detected a total of 18 hostile drones within its airspace over the past 24 hours, reported Khaleej Times.

Of these, 13 drones were destroyed, while two targeted operational units affiliated with the National Petroleum Company, causing limited fires.

Authorities confirmed that no human casualties were reported.

Additionally, three drones fell outside the designated threat area, the statement added.

Dubai Abu Dhabi news LIVE updates: Donald Trump said he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to target Iranian energy fields, adding that Netanyahu had agreed to the request.

“I told him, ‘Don’t do that’, and he won’t do that,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

Dubai Abu Dhabi news LIVE updates: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Thursday that Tehran will target locations where US forces gather, including areas close to urban centres, in remarks during an interview with Al Jazeera.

Dubai Abu Dhabi news LIVE updates: Qatar has rejected Iran’s claim that recent attacks on its gas facilities were aimed only at US-linked interests, saying the strikes clearly show otherwise amid rising regional tensions.

The Qatari leadership said the attack on the country’s main gas hub is “clear proof” that Iran is not limiting its actions to US targets, but is instead striking broader regional infrastructure, reported AFP.

Dubai Abu Dhabi news LIVE updates: Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has condemned Iran’s attacks on Qatar’s main gas hub, following strikes that targeted Gulf energy infrastructure a day earlier.

Speaking at a press conference after damage to the Ras Laffan facility, he said the attack has significant consequences for global energy supplies.

“This attack has significant repercussions for global energy supplies. Such attacks bring no direct benefit to any country, rather, they harm and directly impact populations,” he said.

Dubai Abu Dhabi news LIVE updates: The Israeli military said on Thursday that its fighter jets reportedly struck several Iranian naval vessels in the Caspian Sea the previous day, including ships equipped with anti-submarine missiles.

According to the military, the targets included missile-equipped ships, support vessels and patrol craft, along with a port command centre. It said the vessels were also fitted with aerial surveillance systems.

“It is one of the most significant strikes conducted by the IDF since the start of Operation Roaring Lion,” the military said in a statement.

Military spokesman Lt Col Nadav Shoshani said this was the first time Israel had carried out strikes in northern Iran in the Caspian Sea.

“This is the first time we have done that in our history... We were able to target their naval shipyard where they can fix or build new ships,” he said, adding that more than 200 targets across Iran were struck over the past 36 hours.

Dubai Abu Dhabi news LIVE updates: The Fraud Prevention Centre at the General Department of Criminal Investigations and Criminal Detection in Dubai Police has warned residents against opening suspicious links sent via text messages, local media reported.

The message claims to provide the latest updates from the Dubai government, but authorities said such links are fraudulent and should not be accessed.

Officials stressed that all news and information should be followed only through approved official channels, and urged the public to report any cyber fraud attempts via the Dubai Police Smart App, by calling 901, or through the eCrime platform.

Dubai Abu Dhabi news LIVE updates: US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the United States is considering removing sanctions on Iranian oil in an effort to bring down surging energy prices amid the ongoing Gulf conflict.

Speaking to Fox Business on Thursday, Bessent said the US could also consider a unilateral release of its own oil reserves if needed.

“In the coming days, we may unsanction the Iranian oil that’s on the water,” he said, adding that around 140 million barrels of Iranian oil are currently afloat, equivalent to roughly 10 days to two weeks of supply.

The move, if implemented, would mark a significant shift in long-standing US policy, which has used sanctions on Iranian oil as leverage in nuclear negotiations.