Dubai, Abu Dhabi news highlights: Building in Dubai financial district hit by debris in fresh attack

Updates to this blog has now ended.

Dubai, Abu Dhabi news live: A building in Dubai's financial district was hit by debris from an intercepted attack, AFP reported. The attacks comes after US banking giant Citi, consultancies Deloitte and PwC, as well as other firms closed their offices or told employees to leave, mainly in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).

Dubai–Abu Dhabi news live: The Dubai authorities on Friday issued an advisory warning residents to keep safe distance from debris. The latest advisory comes hours after the Dubai authorities said that the air defense systems were responding to a missile threat.

“Keep a safe distance from any debris and report immediately if encountered. Your safety matters,” the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster said in a post on X.

West Asia conflict: Air India and Air India Express have announced operating 80 scheduled and non-scheduled flights to and from the West Asia region on Saturday. The two airlines will operate their flights to and from Jeddah and Muscat on March 14, Saturday.

"In addition to the scheduled services, Air India and Air India Express would operate a total of 62 non-scheduled flights to and from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia, subject to availability of slots and other prevailing conditions at the departure stations at the time," a joint statement of the airlines said.

Dubai–Abu Dhabi news live: The Consulate General of India in Dubai announced that the visas of foreigners stranded in the country would be extended for a month in view of the crisis in West Asia. It also announced that the penalty for any overstay due to the ongoing developments in the region would be waived off for affected foreign nationals.

"Taking into account the conflict situation in Gulf region, the following has been decided: All types of Visas/ e-Visas expiring/due for expiry soon would be extended for a month on gratis basis, for the affected nationals by jurisdictional FRROS on case-to-case basis; Penalty for any overstay by affected foreign nationals due to ongoing developments in West Asia after February 28, 2026 would be waived off," the Consulate General said in a post on X.

West Asia conflict: Lana Nusseibeh, a former ambassador of the United Nations and now a minister of state in the UAE foreign ministry, said she believes the ongoing war will ultimately end through diplomacy but warned that mediation cannot begin while attacks continue.

In an interview with Reuters, Nusseibeh said, “Ultimately, it will be a diplomatic solution, but there needs to be that tipping point moment, and I think that President Donald Trump will lead us all to that moment in his time,” she said.

Asked about mediation efforts, she added that Iran must stop its attacks first. “It is difficult to talk about mediation when under attack… Mediation can only happen when the guns go silent.”

West Asia conflict: The Pakistan Airports Authority on Friday dismissed reports claiming that airspace over Islamabad had been closed, calling them baseless.

West Asia conflict: President Donald Trump said the U.S. was going to be hitting Iran "very hard over the next week", shortly after issuing a partial 30-day waiver for purchases of sanctioned Russian oil, hoping to ease prices fuelled by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

Prices have been whipsawing on Trump's changing comments on the likely duration of the war, which has prompted Iran to attack vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, the conduit for a fifth of the world's oil.

Trump has previously said the war is "complete", and also promised to guarantee the safety of vessels in the strait. In a Fox News interview aired on Friday, Trump said the U.S. would escort shipping there "if we needed to". (Reuters)

West Asia conflict: President Donald Trump said in an interview aired Friday that American forces would strike Iranian targets "very hard" in the coming days, signaling an intensification of the US-Israeli campaign as the war in the Middle East approaches its third week.

Washington and its ally launched the offensive on February 28 with strikes that killed Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei, triggering a widening regional war that has rattled global energy markets and drawn missile and drone attacks across the Gulf.

"We're going to be hitting them very hard over the next week," Trump told Fox News Radio, adding that he believed Iran's leadership could eventually be toppled by its own people.

"I really think that's a big hurdle to climb for people that don't have weapons," Trump said. "I think it's a very big hurdle... It'll happen, but it probably will be, maybe not immediately."

Trump's remarks came as US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Washington and Israel had already struck more than 15,000 targets since launching an air campaign against Iran on February 28. (AFP)

West Asia conflict: Amid the conflict in West Asia and rise in oil prices, US envoy to India Sergio Gor on Friday said that Iran is "trying to blockade" the Strait of Hormuz, and "recklessly targeting" commercial vessels, as he accused Tehran of trying to drive the oil prices up.

During an interactive session held after his address at the India Today Conclave 2026, Gor also sought to explain why Washington recently issued a 30-day waiver allowing India to buy Russian oil, having previously imposed heavy sanctions related to the war in Ukraine.

He was asked the reason behind this "change of stance" by the US government when it comes to buying of Russian oil.

Gor said President Trump, "since day one has got involved and tried to end conflicts around the world, and I know Prime Minister Narendra Modi agrees with him in trying to bring this war between Russia and Ukraine to an end". (PTI)

West Asia conflict: Lana Nusseibeh, a former ambassador of the United Nations and now a minister of state in the UAE foreign ministry, said she believes the ongoing war will ultimately end through diplomacy but warned that mediation cannot begin while attacks continue.

In an interview with Reuters, Nusseibeh said, “Ultimately, it will be a diplomatic solution, but there needs to be that tipping point moment, and I think that President Donald Trump will lead us all to that moment in his time,” she said.

Asked about mediation efforts, she added that Iran must stop its attacks first. “It is difficult to talk about mediation when under attack… Mediation can only happen when the guns go silent.”

West Asia conflict: A large explosion rocked an area of Iran’s capital where thousands were gathered Friday for an annual state-organized rally to support the Palestinians and call for Israel’s demise. Israel had warned that it would target the area in central Tehran.

There were no immediate reports of casualties. But the decision to proceed with the mass demonstration that was attended by some senior government officials, and Israel’s threat to target the area, underscored the fierce determination on both sides nearly two weeks into a war that has rattled the global economy and shows no sign of letting up.

Iran has continued to launch widespread missile and drone attacks on Israel and neighboring Gulf states, and has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's traded oil passes, even as US and Israeli warplanes pummel military and other targets across Iran. (AP)

West Asia conflict: Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is wounded and likely disfigured, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Friday, questioning Khamenei's ability to govern after nearly two weeks of US and Israeli attacks on Iran.

No images have been released of Khamenei since an Israeli strike at the start of the war that killed much of his family, including his father and wife.

His first comments came in a statement read out by a television presenter on Thursday. In the statement, he vowed to keep the Strait of Hormuz shut and called on neighboring countries to close U.S. bases on their territory or risk Iran targeting them. (Reuters)

Dubai Abu Dhabi news live: An explosion was heard in Dubai on Friday, an AFP correspondent reported, as the interior ministry sent phone alerts warning of "potential missile threats".

"Air defence systems are currently dealing with a missile threat," the defence ministry later said.

Dubai Abu Dhabi news live: UAE minister on Friday said that Iran must stop attacks on neighbours to allow diplomacy.

West Asia conflict: Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is wounded and likely disfigured, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Friday, questioning Khamenei's ability to govern after nearly two weeks of U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran.

No images have been released of Khamenei since an Israeli strike at the start of the war that killed much of his family, including his father and wife.

His first comments came in a statement read out by a television presenter on Thursday. In the statement, he vowed to keep the Strait of Hormuz shut and called on neighboring countries to close U.S. bases on their territory or risk Iran targeting them.

"We know the new so-called not so supreme leader is wounded and likely disfigured. He put out a statement yesterday. A weak one, actually, but there was no voice and there was no video. It was a written statement," Hegseth told a briefing.

"Iran has plenty of cameras and plenty of voice recorders. Why a written statement? I think you know why. His father - dead. He's scared, he's injured, he's on the run and he lacks legitimacy." (Reuters)

Dubai Abu Dhabi news live: Government employees in Dubai will receive a four-day holiday to mark Eid Al Fitr, according to an official circular released by the Dubai Government Human Resources Department, as cited by Gulf News.

The notice reportedly mentions that the holidays will be from Thursday, March 19, allowing employees time to observe the religious festival that concludes the holy month of Ramadan.

West Asia conflict: The US Central Command has designated an officer outside of the command to complete an investigation on a strike on Iranian school, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Friday. (Reuters)

West Asia conflict: Bahrain has reopened its airspace for departing flights

West Asia conflict: Iran launched a fresh salvo of missiles at Israel on Friday, according to state television, on the 14th day of the Middle East war sparked by US-Israeli strikes on the Islamic republic.

Without providing details, state television announced "the start of a new wave of Iranian missile strikes on the occupied territories", a reference to Israel, which Tehran does not recognise. (AFP)

Dubai Abu Dhabi news live: UAE's Dubai and major parts of the Gulf region have come under Iranian attack after US and Israel launched joint strikes on Tehran on February 28. With Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several members of his family being killed in the strikes, Iran vowed a crushing response and retaliated by attacking US bases in the region, which includes Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Oman, Saudi, Bahrain, Kuwait, etc. A few days ago, Iran also said that it would target US financial establishments in the region, following which many financial organisations, such as StanChart, evacuated their Dubai offices and HSBC closed its Qatar branches.

Middle East conflict news live: Eight people were reportedly killed in an Israeli strike on a village in southern Lebanon, heath ministry said as cited by news agency AFP.

Dubai Abu Dhabi news live: An Emirates flight from Dubai to Chennai arrived at Chennai International Airport early on Friday after a brief delay of about an hour as its departure was postponed, ANI reported. Passengers of flight EK 0542 were quoted as saying that the delay happened due air clearance procedures amid heightened tension in the West Asian region.

Dubai Abu Dhabi news live: Iran has continued to attack oil-rich Gulf countries in response to US-Israeli strikes. Two people died in Oman after security forces intercepted a drone near an industrial area in the northern part of the country, state media said. Saudi Arabia successfully intercepted a drone targeting Riyadh's diplomatic quarter, which houses foreign embassies, AFP reported.

Minor fire incident was reported in Dubai after a successful aerial interception in Central Dubai. The authorities later confirmed the incident saying it was result of a fall of shrapnel due to an air interception and that there were no injuries recorded.