Dubai, Abu Dhabi News highlights: Operations suspended at UAE's gas facility after missile interception

Dubai, Abu Dhabi news LIVE: Nearly 1,000 Indians are still in Iran amidst the ongoing conflict in West Asia while 23,000 school students based in Gulf region could not appear in the CBSE final examinations due to the turmoil.

This was conveyed by the Ministry of External Affairs to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs at a meeting held here on Wednesday.

"Well, there are about 1,000 still in Iran, but not all of them necessarily wish to leave," chairman of the panel Shashi Tharoor told reporters here after the meeting.

The Congress leader said Class 10 and Class 12 students based in Gulf region have not been able to write their ongoing CBSE final examinations.

"I asked if there could be any steps taken to address their plight. And I gathered that there has already been consultations between the MEA and the Ministry of Education about ensuring that CBSE makes remedial arrangements for 23,000 students in the Gulf who could not write the exams," he said.

Tharoor said the meeting had comprehensive discussions on West Asia and all attendee MPs had questions and concerns about the overall situation, the impact, the safety and security of Indian nationals, the diaspora, the oil and gas supplies, etc.

"We got some answers. We didn't get all. The foreign secretary was not available," he said.

Sources said the members asked questions related to "India's silence" on condemning the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei and "condoling deaths of civilians" but no answer came from the MEA officials. (PTI)

Dubai, Abu Dhabi news LIVE: Facilities belonging to Iran's oil industry in South Pars and Asaluyeh were attacked on Wednesday, Iranian state media said, prompting Tehran to warn that it would target energy installations across Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

Oil prices jumped on the news, with Brent crude futures gaining more than 6% to a session high just shy of $110 per barrel. Analysts have warned that any attack in South Pars would raise the possibility of retaliatory attacks by Iran on Gulf energy facilities including those belonging to oil majors in Qatar.

Qatar called it an Israeli attack without mentioning any US role. The Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson called it a "dangerous and irresponsible" escalation that put global energy security at risk. (Reuters)

Dubai, Abu Dhabi news LIVE: Israel stepped up airstrikes on Beirut on Wednesday, killing at least 10 people and destroying a 10-storey building near the city centre in the third week of its war with Iran-backed Hezbollah, Lebanese authorities said.

In a further escalation, Israeli warplanes began striking bridges over the Litani River that link southern Lebanon to the rest of the country, destroying at least two of them, Lebanese state media said. The Israeli military said it would target bridges on the Litani to prevent Hezbollah transferring fighters and weapons, and reiterated a warning for residents to leave the south.

The Hezbollah-Israel conflict has become the deadliest spillover of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran since the Iran-backed group fired at Israel in support of Tehran on March 2, with more than 900 people killed in Lebanon and 1 million displaced. (Reuters)

Dubai, Abu Dhabi news LIVE: UAE urges avoiding targeting vital facilities, stresses adherence to international law, Reuters reported.

Dubai, Abu Dhabi news LIVE: Authorities in the UAE issued a safety alert after initially assuring residents the situation was under control following incoming missile and drone threats from Iran.

The Ministry of Defence said air defence systems engaged and intercepted the threats, prompting mobile alerts and advisories for residents to remain in safe locations.

Dubai, Abu Dhabi news LIVE: IndiGo has announced the resumption of flight operations to and from Dubai following the latest update from the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority.

Dubai, Abu Dhabi news LIVE: Iran has confirmed that Intelligence minister Esmail Khatib was killed in Israeli strikes on Wednesday. Taking to X, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian condemned the “cowardly assassination” and offered his condolences.

Dubai, Abu Dhabi news LIVE: At least four people were killed after Israeli forces struck four houses in Sahmar, a town in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, Al Jazeera reported.

According to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, Israeli attacks since March 2 have killed 912 people and wounded 2,221 others.

Dubai, Abu Dhabi news LIVE: “Authorities in Dubai confirm the success of all air interception operations, with no injuries reported,” the Dubai Media Office said on X.

Dubai, Abu Dhabi news LIVE: Tensions in the Gulf region appear to be rising further, with Iran reportedly issuing a warning to people living close to major oil installations in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar, Al Jazeera reported.

Dubai, Abu Dhabi news LIVE: UAE restricts open-air namaz ahead of Eid al-Fitr; prayers to be held inside mosques

Dubai, Abu Dhabi news LIVE: US-Israeli strikes hit Iranian facilities at a major Gulf gas field on Wednesday causing a fire, Iranian state television reported.

"Moments ago, parts of the gas facilities located in the South Pars Special Economic Energy Zone in Asaluyeh were struck by projectiles fired by the American-Zionist enemy," state television reported, citing Ehsan Jahanian, the deputy governor of the southern Bushehr province, where the facility is located.

It added that firefighting teams were dispatched to the scene to contain the fire. (AFP)

Dubai, Abu Dhabi news LIVE: Indian-flagged oil tanker Jag Laadki docked at Gujarat’s Mundra Port on Wednesday, carrying approximately 80,886 metric tonnes of Murban crude oil from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) amid heightened tensions in West Asia, where the US-Israel attack on Iran has escalated into a regional conflict and disrupted critical supply chains.

Dubai, Abu Dhabi news LIVE: As preparations begin for Eid Al Fitr, authorities across the UAE have released prayer timings for different emirates, giving residents a clear schedule to plan their celebrations, according to a report by Khaleej Times.

Dubai timings

In Dubai, the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department (IACAD) has confirmed that Eid prayers will take place at 6:40am. All mosques across the emirate will host the prayers, and residents have been advised to head to the nearest mosque. To manage the large gatherings, Dubai Police will oversee traffic arrangements to ensure smooth movement.

In the capital, timings vary slightly depending on the city. As per the Hijri calendar issued by the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre, prayers are expected at:

Abu Dhabi City: 6:43am

Al Ain: 6:37am

Zayed City: 6:47am

Slight variations across Northern Emirates

Other emirates will see prayer timings clustered within a narrow window, with only minor differences:

Sharjah region (as per Department of Islamic Affairs):

Sharjah and Al Hamriyah: 6:39am

Al Dhaid and Al Bataeh: 6:38am

Al Madam and Mleiha: 6:38am

Eastern Region: 6:37am

Ajman: Around 6:39am, broadly aligned with Sharjah

Umm Al Quwain: 6:39am

Ras Al Khaimah: 6:37am

Fujairah: 6:36am

US-Iran news: Iranian state-run media say that facilities associated with Iran’s massive offshore South Pars natural gas field came under attack Wednesday.

Both Iranian state television and the state-run IRNA news agency reported on the attack targeting facilities at Asaluyeh in Iran’s southern Bushehr province. It did not immediately elaborate.

Iran share the offshore field in the Persian Gulf with Qatar, which it has repeatedly attacked during the war along with other Gulf Arab nations.

It wasn’t clear if Israel or the United States had carried out the attack, however the U.S. has been operating primarily in southern Iran. (AP)

US-Iran news: Israel said Wednesday it killed another top Iranian official, the third in two days, while Iran lashed out with attacks on its Persian Gulf neighbors and Israel, using some of its latest missiles to evade air defenses and killing two people near Tel Aviv as the war in the Middle East showed no signs of slowing.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib had been killed in an overnight strike and promised that “significant surprises are expected throughout this day on all fronts,” without elaborating.

Iran did not immediately confirm Khatib's death. Israel killed top Iranian security official Ali Larijani and the head of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard’s Basij force on Tuesday.

Dubai, Abu Dhabi news LIVE: Oil prices fell after Iraq struck a deal to resume exports via Turkey, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, while the US intensified efforts to reopen the crucial waterway.

Brent crude dropped below $101 a barrel after rising more than 3% on Tuesday, while West Texas Intermediate hovered near $92.

Iraq agreed with Kurdistan to restart exports through a pipeline in the semi-autonomous region to Turkey’s Mediterranean port of Ceyhan.

Dubai, Abu Dhabi news LIVE: Israeli warplanes hit central Beirut in the early hours of Wednesday, destroying apartment buildings in some of the most intense airstrikes on the centre of the Lebanese capital for decades, an expansion of the US-Israeli war against Iran.

A day after killing Iran's powerful security chief Ali Larijani in the highest-level assassination since the supreme leader died on the war's first day, Israel said it had killed another top official, Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib.

Iran confirmed the death of Larijani and retaliated by firing missiles with multiple warheads into Israel that Israeli authorities said killed two people near Tel Aviv.

Dubai, Abu Dhabi news LIVE: Israel’s defense minister claimed that Iran’s intelligence chief Khatib was killed in an overnight development, though further details remain unclear.

Dubai, Abu Dhabi news LIVE: A building collapses in central Beirut after Israeli airstrike.

Dubai, Abu Dhabi news LIVE: China supports UAE in safeguarding sovereignty, condemns attacks on civilians, infrastructure

Dubai, Abu Dhabi news LIVE: Iran lashed out following the killing of one of its top officials in an airstrike with attacks on its Persian Gulf neighbors and Israel on Wednesday, using some of its latest missiles to evade air defenses and killing two people near Tel Aviv as the war in the Middle East showed no signs of slowing.

Israel kept up intense pressure on Lebanon with strikes it said targeted Iran-backed Hezbollah militants, hitting multiple apartment buildings in Beirut and killing at least a dozen people.

In Iran, the Bushehr nuclear power plant complex was hit by a projectile the night before but there were no injuries and the plant suffered no damage, the International Atomic Energy Agency said after receiving a report from Tehran. The IAEA chief Rafael Grossi reiterated his call “for maximum restraint during the conflict to prevent risk of a nuclear accident.” (AP)

Dubai, Abu Dhabi news LIVE: A top adviser to the Emirati president says Iran miscalculated by attacking the UAE and other Persian Gulf states, driving them closer to Israel and the US while demonstrating why the region can’t accept Iranian nuclear and missile programs.

Dr. Anwar Gargash also said that the United Arab Emirates is considering joining the US in securing the Strait of Hormuz for oil shipments, adding that other countries in Asia and Europe should do the same.

President Donald Trump called for NATO and East Asian allies to join the US in helping to secure the strait, but most flatly rejected his entreaties. Trump started the joint US-Israeli bombing campaign Feb. 28 without consulting friendly nations. (Bloomberg)

Dubai, Abu Dhabi news LIVE: Oil prices fell after Iraq struck a deal to resume exports via Turkey, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, while the US intensified efforts to reopen the crucial waterway.

Brent crude dropped below $101 a barrel after rising more than 3% on Tuesday, while West Texas Intermediate hovered near $92.

Iraq agreed with Kurdistan to restart exports through a pipeline in the semi-autonomous region to Turkey’s Mediterranean port of Ceyhan.

Dubai, Abu Dhabi news LIVE: Iran launched attacks on Saudi Arabia’s oil-rich Eastern Province as well as Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE on Wednesday, escalating tensions across the Gulf.

Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said a projectile sparked a small fire at a base near Dubai without causing injuries, likely linked to explosions near Al Minhad Air Base. Missile alerts later sounded in Dubai as interceptors were heard overhead.

Saudi Arabia said it intercepted a ballistic missile targeting Prince Sultan Air Base, which hosts US forces, and shot down two drones aimed at Riyadh’s diplomatic quarter, home to the US Embassy and other foreign missions.