Countries across the Middle East have closed their airspace, resulting in thousands of flights being cancelled.
On Saturday, the U.S. and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran, killing the regime’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran has responded with retaliatory strikes targeting Israel and U.S. military bases across the Middle East, including in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
Meanwhile, the Australian Government has changed its advice to “do not travel” for most of the region.
Airspace shut
On Saturday, Flightradar24 reported the airspace over Iran, Qatar,Bahrain, the UAE, Israel, Kuwait, Syria, Iraq, and parts of Saudi Arabia had been closed.
As of 6pm on 2 March (AEDT), the airspace remains shut in all of these locations.
Major transit hubs, including the international airports in Dubai, Doha, and Abu Dhabi have been closed since Saturday.
A large number of flights have been cancelled as a result, leaving passengers stranded across the globe.
Strikes
On Sunday, an Abu Dhabi Airports spokesperson said the interception of a drone targeting Zayed International Airport “led to falling debris which resulted in one fatality... and seven injuries.”
A Dubai Airports spokesperson confirmed an Iranian strike damaged Dubai International Airport over the weekend.
Your contribution ensures The Daily Aus can continue doing the work you love.
I want to give $10 monthly to help TDA keep doing the news.
Your details:
The Bahrain News Agency said the country’s international airport “was targeted by a drone attack” on Sunday, sustaining minor damage.
In the UAE, the U.S. Navy uses aport in Dubai, and the U.S. Air Force has assets at an air base near Abu Dhabi.
The U.S. Navy’s base in Bahrain has around 8,000 personnel onsite.
The largest U.S. military base in the Middle East is the Al Udeid Air Base near Doha, Qatar, with around 10,000 troops and 100 UK soldiers.
In January, the U.S. and UK governments withdrew some personnel from the base.
Australian advice
On 1 March, Smartraveller updated its advice to “do not travel” to Lebanon, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain,joining the same advice level as Israel, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Palestine, and Yemen.
It told Australians with plans to travel to Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Oman to “reconsider your need to travel”.
Smartraveller encouraged travellers to look over their insurance policies. However, most insurers do not cover war or following “do not travel” advice as a valid reason for a claim.
On Monday, Foreign Minister Penny Wong issued a warning that Australians “should be prepared for serious travel disruptions,” citing Europe layover destinations as an example.
Wong announced a 24/7 consular support crisis line has been activated, and a crisis portal is open for Australians in Israel, Iran, the UAE and Qatar.
Speaking to media on Monday, Wong said the Government could not take steps to organise repatriation flights while airspace is closed, but said commercial flights would be “the fastest way” to bring Australians home.
