US-Israel-Iran War: Explosions Heard In Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Israel Seizes Land In Lebanon

Israel's military has said it has struck Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, after the Iranian-backed Shia group said it launched rockets and drones at the Israeli city of Haifa to avenge the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Lebanon's disaster management unit said 52 people were killed by Israeli strikes in the country on Monday. There were no reports of casualties in Israel from Hezbollah's fire, which the group said was retaliation for Khamenei's "pure blood" and Israeli strikes in Lebanon since a ceasefire ended a war between them 15 months ago.

Source: BBC

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin ‌Netanyahu said on Monday ⁠that the US and Israel’s ‌war against Iran will ‌not be ‌an ⁠endless one ⁠and that it will involve quick and ‌decisive action.

“This is not an endless war, ‌this is the gateway to ⁠peace” Netanayahu said on Fox ‌News.

“Yes I do,” Netanyahu said, when asked if ‌he saw a lasting path to peace ⁠in West Asia.

Source: Reuters

Amid continued flight disruptions to the Gulf region, IndiGo will operate 10 special relief flights from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to India on Tuesday (March 3, 2026) to facilitate the return of stranded passengers, according to the Ministry of Civil Aviation. Air India Express will also resume services to Muscat, Oman, operating six flights from various Indian cities.

US President Donald Trump suggested on Monday that the United States would retaliate “soon” after its embassy in the Saudi capital Riyadh was struck by two suspected Iranian drones.

Speaking to the NewsNation network, Trump said “you’ll find out soon” how the United States would respond, without providing further detail, after the US embassy confirmed a drone attack that caused “a limited fire and minor material damage.”

Calling the rapidly evolving situation in the Gulf countries a matter of “extreme concern”, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take urgent steps to ensure the safe return of Indians stranded in the region.

Soren said his government stands ready to extend all necessary assistance to people from Jharkhand currently abroad.

In a post on X on Monday night, he appealed to PM Modi and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to “kindly take necessary steps to safely bring back to the homeland all Indians who feel unsafe or stranded in this grave situation.” He urged residents of Jharkhand and other Indians living in Gulf countries to remain vigilant, assuring them that “India stands with you”.

Addressing people from the state residing in the Gulf, Mr. Soren said those facing any distress should immediately contact the Jharkhand State Migrant Control Room.

He also shared helpline numbers for assistance — 1800-3456-526, 0651-2480083, 2481188, 2480058.

- PTI

The Israeli military on Tuesday issued fresh evacuation directives for dozens of locations across Lebanon, including alerts for residents in two southern Beirut neighbourhoods to avoid specific buildings ahead of what it described as imminent military operations.

In a statement posted on Telegram, the army’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, urged residents in the named areas to leave immediately for their safety. The notice listed around 50 locations and called on civilians to evacuate their homes without delay.

Source: AFP

The Maharashtra government has launched an emergency WhatsApp helpline for hundreds of state residents stranded in West Asia amid the ongoing US-Israel-Iran conflict, officials said on Tuesday.

According to officials, several hundred people from Maharashtra are stranded due to airspace closure caused by the Iran war, though all are safe.

The CMO stated that the State government, in coordination with the Indian People’s Forum in Dubai, has issued a WhatsApp helpline number +971 50 365 4357 for stranded citizens who require assistance.

Source: PTI

ran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had launched an attack on a U.S. air base in Bahrain, according to a statement carried Tuesday by the state-run IRNA news agency.

IRNA reported on Telegram that the Guards’ naval forces conducted a large-scale drone and missile strike at dawn targeting the American air base in the Sheikh Isa area of Bahrain, citing the IRGC statement.

Source: AFP

Iran’s Shargh newspaper is reporting that an area near Iran’s old parliament building has been hit by air strikes.

The report said that attack took place near the intersection of Valiasr and Jami Streets in downtown Tehran, where several cultural sites and museums are located.

There were no immediate reports on casualties from the strike.

A persistent fall ⁠in oil and gas supplies from the Middle East ‌region amid a sustained war against Iran could cause a large spike in inflation and a sharp ⁠drop in output in ⁠the euro zone, Philip Lane, European Central Bank chief economist, has told the Financial Times.

The magnitude of the shock from the Middle East would depend “on the breadth and duration of the conflict”, Lane said.

He cited an analysis the ECB published in 2023 that highlighted “a substantial spike in energy-driven inflation and a sharp drop in output” if a conflict in the Middle East led to a “persistent drop in energy supplies” as well as “disruptions in regional economic activity”, the FT reported.

The US State Department said on Tuesday it has ordered non-emergency personnel and their families to leave Bahrain and Jordan, as well as announcing it had ordered staff in Iraq to leave a day earlier, as Iran retaliates to U.S.-Israeli strikes.

The department, in a post on X, said it had updated travel advisories for Bahrain and Jordan “to reflect the ordered departure of non-emergency U.S. government personnel and family members of government personnel.”

Source: AFP

The United States embassy in Riyadh confirmed an attack and urged people to stay away, saying it would be closed on Tuesday.

“Avoid the embassy until further notice due to an attack on the facility,” a statement said, urging American citizens to “shelter in place”.

Source: AFP

Democratic Members of US Congress have criticised claims by the Trump administration the strikes on Iran were justified because of the threat posed by Tehran to Washington, saying any threat posed was to Israel.

Mark Warner, a Democratic senator from Virginia and vice-chair of the select committee on intelligence, told reporters after a briefing there was “no imminent threat to the United States of America by the Iranians”.

“There was a threat to Israel. If we equate a threat to Israel as the equivalent of an imminent threat to the United States, then we are in uncharted territory,” he said.

Joaquin Castro, a House Representative from Texas, criticised remarks from Secretary of State Marco Rubio that “it was abundantly clear that if Iran came under attack by … the United States or Israel or anyone, they were going to respond … against the United States”.

“Secretary Rubio’s remarks indicate that Israel put US forces in harm’s way by insisting on attacking Iran,” said Castro. “And the administration was complicit – joining their war instead of talking them down.”

He continued: “This is unacceptable of the President, and unacceptable of a country that calls itself our ally.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the conflict with Iran is “not going to take years” and expressed hope for a quick resolution and broader peace, including improved ties with Saudi Arabia.

-Reuters

A member of Iran’s Assembly of Experts, tasked with electing the country’s next Supreme Leader, said the process “will not be lengthy,” according to the ISNA news agency.

Ali Moalemi added that the Assembly members have pledged that “personal preferences” for individuals or political and party factions will “not be a factor,” and that their votes will be guided solely by their judgement and adherence to religious principles.

-Al Jazeera

"Wars can be fought “forever,” and very successfully, using just these supplies (which are better than other countries finest arms!)," US President Donald Trump said in his latest statement.

"At the highest end, we have a good supply, but are not where we want to be. Much additional high grade weaponry is stored for us in outlying countries," he added.

The Israeli military said its troops “are operating in southern Lebanon” as it continues strikes in what it described in a statement as a “forward defence” measure along the border.

“We have positioned soldiers on the border area in additional points to defend our civilians, to prevent Hezbollah from attacking them,” military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said. “This is not a ground operation. This is a tactical measure… to ensure the safety of our people,” he added.

The Israeli military also issued forced displacement notices for some 59 areas in Lebanon, including several neighbourhoods in Dahiyeh, traditionally home to more of the Shia population, seen as a support base for Hezbollah.

In a post on the Telegram messaging app, it said it was striking “Hezbollah command centres and weapons storage facilities in Beirut”.

Civilians across Lebanon are continually caught in the crosshairs of Israeli attacks in Lebanon and have suffered thousands of deaths and mass displacement during the yearlong war in 2023-24 and in subsequent near-daily Israeli violations of a ceasefire up until the eruption of this new conflict days ago.

France plans to ⁠send anti-missile and ⁠anti-drone systems to Cyprus ‌after a British airbase there was targeted by drones, ⁠the semi-official Cyprus ⁠News ⁠Agency (CNA) is reporting.

The Akrotiri base, southwest of Limassol, is one of two bases the UK has retained in the former ⁠colony since independence in 1960.

Amid escalating tensions, the U.S Embassy in Jerusalem on Tuesday (March 3, 2026) said it is “not in a position” to evacuate or directly assist Americans in departing Israel.

U.S. President Donald Trump warned on Monday (March 2, 2026) that his attack on Iran could extend longer than a month, as the war spread with Israel bombarding Lebanon and Tehran targeting oil facilities in Gulf countries.

Reuters

Authorities in the UAE say they have brought a fire under control at the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone after debris from a downed drone ignited flames.

No casualties have been reported.

In a statement on X, officials in Fujairah said emergency teams moved swiftly after debris fell following the interception of a drone by air defence systems.

Source: Aljazeera

India holds about 100 million barrels of commercial crude oil stocks — in storage tanks, underground strategic reserves and on ships voyaging towards the country, which could cover roughly 40-45 days of its requirement if flows through the Strait of Hormuz are disrupted, according to Kpler.

India imports about 88% of the crude oil it needs, the raw material for fuels such as petrol and diesel, with more than 50% supplied by Middle Eastern countries and transiting the narrow Strait of Hormuz, flows from which have been disrupted amid the Iran crisis.

Source: The Hindu

The International Atomic Energy Agency has said it can confirm, based on the latest available satellite imagery, “some recent damage to entrance buildings” of Iran’s underground Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant (FEP).

“No radiological consequence expected and no additional impact detected at FEP itself, which was severely damaged in the June conflict,” it added, referring to the 12-day war launched by Israel against Iran last year that also included US attacks on the Natanz facility alongside two others.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has declared the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz closed to all vessel traffic, warning that any ship attempting to transit the waterway will be attacked, according to Iranian media.

Reuters quoted local media as saying on Monday that a ranking IRGC commander said that the Strait of Hormuz is closed, and Iran will set on fire any ship trying to pass.

At ⁠least ⁠30,000 displaced people have sought protection in ⁠shelters in Lebanon since hostilities between ⁠Israel and Hezbollah began on Monday, says UNHCR.

“Many more slept in their cars on ⁠the side of ⁠roads or were still ⁠stuck in traffic jams on the roads,” said UNHCR spokesperson ⁠Babar Baloch.

Qatar’s FM spokesperson adds that there is no information on Mossad cells operating in the country.

This comes after US broadcaster Tucker Carlson claimed that Qatar and Saudi Arabia have arrested individuals linked to Mossad.

Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry has condemned “in the strongest terms” an attack on the US embassy in the country, calling it “treacherous” and “a flagrant violation of all international norms and laws”.

“The ministry reiterates its affirmation of the State of Kuwait’s right to take all necessary measures and actions to protect its security, the safety of its territories, its citizens, and the residents therein,” it said.

At least three people have been killed and 70 were injured across the UAE by Iranian attacks, the UAE’s Defence Ministry spokesperson has said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he and his team have spoken with Emirati President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and expressed condolences over the lives lost “as a result of Iran’s insane strikes”.

In a post on X, Zelenskyy said the leaders discussed “key aspects of the situation” in the region, with the UAE president telling him that “the Iranian regime is targeting not only military facilities but virtually everything – residential buildings, shopping malls, even mosques”.

Zelenskyy said the pair discussed “how we can help in this situation” and agreed to work on supporting “the protection of lives” amid the conflict.

The head of Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom has warned that the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran faces a threat as a result of the US-Israeli attacks on the country, Russian state news agency RIA is reporting.

On Saturday, Rosatom said it had evacuated nearly 100 people from Iran, although its personnel remained at the Russia-built plant in the port city, which is Iran’s only operational nuclear power plant.

The U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia has warned of an “imminent” missile and drone attack on the oil-rich eastern Saudi city of Dhahran.

“Do not come to the U.S. Consulate” in Dhahrab, the embassy advised. “Take cover immediately in your residence on the lowest available floor and away from windows.” It did not provide further details.

- AP

Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger announced that a repatriation flight carrying Austrians would depart on Wednesday from the Omani capital Muscat. The minister said a first evacuation flight carrying “particularly vulnerable individuals” already took off Sunday.

Nearly 18,000 Austrian citizens are registered in the region, authorities said.

Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene also said her country will commence the evacuation of “the most vulnerable groups of Lithuanian citizens” from the United Arab Emirates and other surrounding states.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Tuesday that Poland had prepared planes for an evacuation in case the situation in the region worsens.
He estimated there are 14,000 Polish citizens in the United Arab Emirates, and a total of 400,000 people from the EU there.

-Inputs from AP

The U.S. president is hosting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House later Tuesday.

The topics of discussion is sure to include Iran, although Merz’s visit was confirmed by the German government before Trump made the decision to strike.

The two leaders will meet in the Oval Office in front of a pool of journalists, and then have lunch. It’s Merz’s third trip to Washington since he took office 10 months ago.

Following the earlier evacuation of 23 Koreans from Iran, South Korean officials say they evacuated 62 citizens from Israel to Egypt via bus.

Four Americans of Korean origin were also evacuated from Israel, according to a statement released by the South Korean Foreign Ministry on Tuesday.

European Union foreign ministers will hold a videoconference with their counterparts from the Gulf Cooperation Council on Thursday morning, an EU official tells Reuters.

The immediate fear for Gulf leaders centres on their most vulnerable infrastructure: strikes on power grids, water desalination plants and energy infrastructure.

The US president painted a positive picture of his administration’s war against Iran on Tuesday.

“We’re doing very well,” he said, speaking at the White House, seated next to visiting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, before saying that the US had knocked down Iran’s army, navy and air defence systems.

He acknowledged that Iran was still “lobbing” missiles at its Gulf neighbours, but said that the US was striking Iranian launch facilities.

According to Reuters, explosion were heard in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.