Dubai-Abu Dhabi news highlights: Etihad, Emirates begin limited ops from UAE, Abu Dhabi flight lands in Delhi

Dubai-Abu Dhabi news highlights: Residents watch as the flames and a black plume of smoke rises from a warehouse at the industrial area of Sharjah City in the United Arab Emirates.

Dubai-Abu Dhabi news highlights: A fire erupted at the US embassy in the Saudi capital Riyadh following an explosion, sources told Reuters on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the US has urged Americans to immediately depart more than a dozen countries in the Middle East. Follow here for live updates

The United Arab Emirates condemned Iranian missile attacks on Monday, calling it "dangerous escalation" and announcing the immediate closure of its embassy in Tehran along with the withdrawal of its ambassador and diplomatic staff.

UAE Ministry of Defence said that the Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Defence held phone calls with Ministry of Defence of Kuwait to discuss the regional developments. The two sides exchanged views on the current developments and affirmed the importance of continuing coordination.

Fresh blasts were reportedly heard in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha, Manama and Kuwait City as Iran continued bombardment on Monday. Loud explosions were reported across multiple Gulf cities, marking its third day of retaliation against US-Israeli air raids, AFP reported.

Special flights from UAE

Special flights began operating from UAE airports to help stranded passengers depart. Limited operations resumed at Dubai airports (DXB & DWC) with a small number of permitted flights. Flydubai said it will operate a limited number of evening flights from Dubai on Monday. Emirates resumed a limited number of flights from Dubai in the evening, prioritising earlier bookings.

Several Etihad special-service flights departed from Abu Dhabi International Airport, with around 15 passenger aircraft taking off within a three-hour window.

Etihad operated evacuation flights from Abu Dhabi to India on Monday. Flight EY 216 to Delhi landed at around 8 pm. EY204 to Mumbai landed around 7:40 pm; EY334 to Kochi (Cochin) landed at around 10.10 pm, and EY238 to Bengaluru landed at 9:45 pm.

Amazon AWS reports connectivity issues

Amazon cloud unit's data centres in Bahrain and the UAE were facing power and connectivity issues on Monday, the company said, as Iranian retaliatory strikes hit airports, ports, and residential areas across the wider Gulf.

Two of Amazon Cloud Unit's zones, which are clusters of data centres, in the UAE were without power on Monday, the company said on its status page. AWS said on Sunday said that one zone in the UAE was affected after "objects" struck the data center and created sparks and fire, following which power was shut off.

UAE foreign ministry condemns Iran attacks

The United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Reza Ameri, Iran’s ambassador to the UAE, and handed him a strongly worded note of protest condemning what it described as Iranian attacks and “terrorist assaults” on Emirati territory.

In its statement, the ministry said targeting the UAE constitutes a blatant violation of its sovereignty and national security, and a clear breach of international charters, resolutions and norms. It described the strikes as a “dangerous and irresponsible escalation” that disregards the country’s sovereignty.

Trading on the UAE’s two main exchanges, Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) and Dubai Financial Market (DFM), has been suspended till Tuesday, March 3. Meanwhile, three people have been killed in UAE amid Iranian strikes, local media reported.

Dubai airport attacked

UAE's major economic hub Dubai came under attack after Iran responded to US and Israel's joint strikes by targeting US facilities in the region with explosions and drone interceptions being reported across Dubai on Saturday. Iran fired 137 missiles and 209 drones at targets across the UAE, AFP cited the defence ministry as saying.

Dubai International Airport, which is one of the world's most busiest aviation hubs, suffered partial damage due to a suspected aerial strike on one of its main terminal buildings. Confirming the incident, the airport authorities said that one concourse at Dubai International “sustained minor damage in an incident, which was quickly contained". Four employees also sustained injuries in the incident.

Indian nationals stuck, minister assures return

Several Indians are stuck amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. This includes actors Subhashree Ganguly and Sonal Chauhan. Ganguly was holidaying in Dubai with her minor son.

Her husband, TMC legislator Raj Chakraborty, told the media that both are “in a hotel and safe.” “We are deeply concerned, although civilians are known to be safe in Dubai. Let's see when the flight operations resume,” he said.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday informed that around 100 Kannadigas are currently stranded in the UAE (Dubai) and nine in Bahrain due to airspace disruptions and flight cancellations. He also added that the government is monitoring the situation.

Ananya Datta, a resident of Kuwait, told HT that she along with her husband, witnessed a drone hitting the local airport. Kolkata mayor and cabinet minister Firhad Hakim's wife and two daughters were on a pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.

Hakim's elder daughter, Priyadarshini, shared her experience on social media. "We are safe, but the army here is ready for combat. We saw a missile flying above us," she said.