(Corrects to Gulf countries as well as Iraq, instead of such as Iraq, in paragraph 4)
By Yomna Ehab
March 16 (Reuters) – Dubai authorities brought under control on Monday a fire caused by a drone attack near the city’s international airport that forced a temporary suspension of flights, though no injuries were reported, they said.
The U.S.-Israel war against Iran has thrown global aviation into turmoil, with flights cancelled, rescheduled and rerouted, as most Middle East airspace stays shut over fears of missile and drone attacks, while the crisis sends fuel prices soaring.
Monday’s incident is the third at the Dubai airport, one of the world’s busiest international travel hubs, since Iran began its attacks on Gulf nations on February 28, with strikes Tehran hassaid aim at the U.S. presence in the region.
While the United Arab Emirates and Gulf countries, as well as Iraq, Jordan and Turkey, host U.S. military facilities, Iran has used missiles and drones to target civilian facilities such as airports, hotels and ports.
“A drone incident in the vicinity of Dubai International Airport affected one of the fuel tanks,” the Dubai media office said on X.
Traffic was temporarily halted on road and tunnel links with the airport, police said, while the Emirates airline suspended flights with Dubai.
Some flights were diverted to the Al Maktoum International Airport, the Dubai media office said on X.
Authorities did not say when they expected flights to resume, however.
Gulf Arab states have faced more than 2,000 missile and drone attacks since February 28, with targets including U.S. diplomatic missions and military bases but also key Gulf oil infrastructure as well as homes and offices.
The United Arab Emirates, which normalised relations with Iran’s arch-foe Israel in 2020, has faced the brunt of the attacks. But all Gulf Arab states have been affected, and all have condemned Iran.
On March 11, two drones fell near the Dubai international airport, which suffered damaged on the first day of the conflict during an overnight Iranian attack across Gulf states.
(Reporting by Yomna Ehab and Menna Alaa El Din; Maha El Dahan, Editing by Jacqueline Wong, Lincoln Feast and Clarence Fernandez)
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