The Latest: UAE briefly closes airspace as Israel strikes Beirut and Tehran
Mar 16, 2026, 9:28 PM | Updated: Mar 17, 2026, 7:46 pm
A drone attack in the United Arab Emirates sparked a fire at an oil tank farm Tuesday in Fujairah, an emirate on the country’s east coast with the Gulf of Oman that has been repeatedly targeted, the state-run WAM news agency reported. It said no one had been injured in the blast.
This came after a brief closure of the UAE’s airspace when the military reported it was “responding to missile and drone threats from Iran.”
Also Tuesday, the Israeli military said it had launched new attacks across both Tehran and Beirut, with those on the Lebanese capital targeting Hezbollah militants.
On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump said “numerous countries” have told him “they’re on the way” to help police the Strait of Hormuz. But he also suggested some countries’ reluctance showed a lack of reciprocity in defense agreements with the United States.
The war has killed at least 1,300 people in Iran, at least 850 in Lebanon and 12 in Israel, according to officials in those countries. The U.S. military says 13 U.S. service members have been killed and about 200 wounded.
Here is the latest:
An Associated Press journalist in Qatar heard explosions as air defenses near Doha worked to intercept incoming Iranian fire on Tuesday morning.
Qatar’s Defense Ministry said it intercepted a missile attack on the country a short time later.
In the United Arab Emirates, Dubai residents received a missile alert around the same time.
