An Iranian missile attack on U.S. forces at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar triggered a cascade of airspace closures across the Middle East on Monday.
Qatar had already shut its airspace ahead of the attack, but afterward nearby Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait followed suit. The UAE’s move is particularly significant because Dubai International Airport is the busiest airport by passenger traffic in the Middle East and one of the busiest in the world. A number of airlines, including United, Air Canada, British Airways, KLM, and Singapore Airlines had already temporarily suspended service to Dubai due to the escalating conflict between Israel and the U.S. and Iran.
The UAE’s move to close its airspace was first reported by The Wall Street Journal on Monday afternoon.
The Kuwaiti government released a statement shortly after the Iranian strikes.
“In the interest of the country’s security and safety, and in light of the precautionary measures taken in a number of neighboring countries, which include the closure of their airports and airspace, the State of Kuwait announces the temporary closure of its airspace as a precautionary measure, effective today until further notice,” the country’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation said.
Bahrain, an island country in the Persian Gulf, closed its airspace as a “precaution.” It hosts the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, which is active in the Gulf, the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, and parts of the Indian Ocean.
There were reports that Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Lebanon, and Jordan had also stopped commercial flights on Monday, but their government ministries had made no formal announcements by press time.
Iran also launched missiles at American forces in Iraq at the same time it targeted Qatar. It is not clear if there were any injuries stemming from the attacks. Qatar claimed that it intercepted and destroyed the missiles before they struck Al Udeid, which is close to the capital of Doha.
The country, which is an ally of both the U.S. and Iran, condemned the attack as a violation of its sovereignty.
Airlines operating in the region have been on high alert since June 13, when Israel launched surprise airstrikes on Iran. The conflict escalated Saturday when the U.S. struck three Iranian nuclear facilities.
