UAE closes airspace as 'precautionary measure' amid Iran attacks

The UAE announced a full closure of its airspace as a precautionary measure while its air defence systems respond to missile and drone attacks from Iran. Operations at the Shah gas field were suspended after a drone attack caused a fire.

The General Civil Aviation Authority has announced the temporary and full closure of the United Arab Emirates airspace, Al Jazeera reported. As per Al Jazeera, State media said the move was "an exceptional precautionary measure" aimed at ensuring the safety of flights and air crews, as well as safeguarding the UAE's territory.

UAE Air Defence Responds to Attacks

Earlier, the UAE's Ministry of Defence stated that it was responding to a new wave of missile and drone attacks launched by Iran, Al Jazeera reported.

Meanwhile, the UAE Ministry of Defence said its air defence systems are actively responding to incoming missiles and drones launched from Iran, as per Al Jazeera.

Separately, authorities in Dubai stated that the sounds heard across parts of the city were due to successful interception operations carried out by air defence systems, according to the Dubai Media Office's X post.

Shah Gas Field Operations Suspended

Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi authorities have suspended operations at the massive Shah gas field while they assess damage from a drone attack, which ignited a fire, the Abu Dhabi media office said in a post to social media Tuesday, CNN reported.

As per CNN, the Shah gas field, about 180 kilometres (112 miles) southwest of Abu Dhabi city, is one of the largest in the world, with the capacity to produce 1.28 billion standard cubic feet of gas per day, according to its operator, the state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC).

The fire has since been contained, and no injuries have been reported, the media office said, as reported by CNN.

Pattern of Attacks on UAE Infrastructure

The United Arab Emirates' energy and transport infrastructure have been repeatedly targeted by Iran throughout the war, CNN reported.

On Monday, an "advanced fire" broke out at the UAE's Fujairah petroleum industrial zone after it was targeted by a drone attack, according to the Fujairah Media Office, CNN reported.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)