Dubai news highlights: US issues evacuation advisory for stranded citizens in Gulf countries, Israel

UAE news LIVE News Updates: A plume of black smoke rises from a fire near fuel depots at the port of Fujairah in the gulf emirate of Fujairah on March 4, 2026.

UAE news LIVE highlights: The updates to this live blog have ended. The US issued an evacuation advisory for its citizens stranded in UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Israel. US secretary of state Marco Rubio took to X as he issued the advisory amid continued escalations between US and Iran that spilled into the wider Middle Eastern region since last Saturday following US-Israel joint strikes against Tehran.

The United Arab Emirates has stated that it has been exposed to over 1,000 attacks since the US-Israel-Iran conflict expanded to the wider Gulf region.

The UAE ministry of defence on Wednesday said it has intercepted 121 drones and three ballistic missiles, while eight drones fell in the country's territory. It said that since the start of what it termed as “blatant Iranian aggression”, 189 ballistic missiles have been launched towards UAE, of which 175 were destroyed, 13 fell into the sea, and one landed within the territory.

Given the situation, UAE joined “the first joint emergency meeting of officials responsible for emergency, crisis, and disaster management, as well as operations room officials from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.” The UAE, represented by its minister of interior, said the meeting was meant to “elevate the level of preparedness for dealing” with the present situation in Middle East.

“The meeting discussed the current security situations, ways to strengthen the existing security coordination among various security agencies, in addition to exchanging information and joint coordination to enhance the readiness of crisis and emergency response systems,” the UAE interior ministry said.

In a fresh statement earlier today, UAE's ministry of foreign affairs had asserted that it will defend its "legitimate right to self-defence" against the increase in Iranian attacks.

"The United Arab Emirates reaffirms that it has not taken any decision to alter its defensive posture in response to the repeated Iranian attacks," the statement said, adding that it has been subjected to over 1,000 attacks. Abu Dhabi reiterated that it is "not a part to this war" and has not allowed use of its territory, waters or airspace for an attack against Iran.

US consulate in Dubai hit

Amid the escalating tensions, Dubai also reported a drone attack on the US consulate in the city. As per authorities, the attack caused a "limited fire" on site, which was later extinguished with no injuries reported.

This attack on the US consulate in Dubai comes days after the US embassies in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia were subject to similar attacks. Due to this, the US State Department announced the “indefinite” closure of the Kuwait City embassy and cancellation of all consular services in Riyadh.

Latest advisory for UAE

The US government has called on American citizens in the UAE to leave the country immediately. A Level 3 alert stays in place for the gulf nations. As per the latest notice issued by the State Department, American citizens in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and other cities have been asked to leave the country through the land borders with Oman and Saudi Arabia, in case flights are not available.

For Indian nationals in the UAE, the Indian government has urged citizens to stay in contact with the embassy in Abu Dhabi. Indian nations have also been advised to "avoid unnecessary travel and remain vigilant."

Flight cancellations, repatriation amid airspace restrictions

• Around 180 flights were cancelled from three key airports in India – Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru – due to airspace restrictions in Middle East, PTI news agency cited sources as saying. Of these, 93 flights were cancelled at Mumbai airport, 52 at Delhi airport, and 34 at Bengaluru.

• Mumbai airport also handled eight repatriation flights by both domestic and international airlines, bringing back Indians stranded in the Middle East, sources said. SpiceJet operated two repatriated flights from Fujairah to Mumbai, and Air India operated a flight from Dubai to the city.

• Gulf carrier Emirates operated three such flights from Dubai to Mumbai, and Gulf Air and Royal Jordanian operated one flight each from Amman (Jordan) and Dammam (Saudi Arabia)on Wednesday, PTI reported citing sources.

• However, the disruption in air travel continued, with IndiGo having cancelled over 500 flights to the Middle East and select international destinations from February 28 to March 3, the carrier said Wednesday.

• Domestic carrier SpiceJet today cancelled 38 flights between India and UAE owing to airspace restrictions. Meanwhile, international airline Emirates announced that all scheduled flights to and from Dubai will remain suspended until March 7.

• According to the Civil Aviation Ministry, 1,221 flights by Indian carriers and 388 flights by foreign carriers had been cancelled till March 3.