West Asia War Day 17 LIVE: Fire at Dubai Airport After Drone Incident

March 16, 2026 - West Asia War Day 17 LIVE Updates

6:00 pm: According to Iran’s news agency, civilians have been killed and wounded in an Israeli airstrike on an electricity department building east of Tehran.

Iran has expressed gratitude to Pakistan over its support amid its ongoing war with US and Israel.

Diplomatic talks with Iran can only take place if Tehran halts its attacks, Qatar has said, adding that meaningful negotiations would not be possible while such attacks persist and called for an immediate halt to the escalation.

Indian Embassy has issued travel advisory for Indian nationals in Iran saying that all Indian nationals currently in Iran are strictly advised not to approach or attempt to cross any land border of Iran for onward travel without prior and explicit coordination with the Embassy of India, Tehran.

3:00 pm: India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that more than 550 Indians were safely evacuated from Iran and thanked Armenia for facilitating the evacuation.

India says the domestic LPG situation remains a concern, but there are no reports of supply drying up. Officials added that the situation is being closely monitored.

The Israeli military says it has begun a “wide-scale wave of strikes targeting infrastructure” in the Iranian cities of Tehran, Shiraz and Tabriz simultaneously.

Bahrain forces have intercepted and destroyed 129 missiles and 215 drones since the start of the attacks, says the country. At least two have also been killed in Bahrain.

Israeli military has claimed to have destroyed a plane used by Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei at Mehrabad airport.

Iran has declared that logistical and service facilities supporting the US aircraft carrier strike group led by the USS Gerald Ford would be considered legitimate military targets.

1:00 pm: One person of Palestinian nationality was a casualty in Abu Dhabi in an “incident involving a missile striking a civilian vehicle in the Al Bahyan area,” the city’s media office said.

A fire has broken out at an industrial zone in UAE’s Fujairah after a drone strike, UAE media office has said.

Israeli Minister of Culture and Sports Miki Zohar has called for his country to prepare for an escalation “in the coming days”, adding that the US-Israeli war on Iran is “very likely” to take several more weeks.

At least five people have been killed and seven others injured after separate strikes carried out by US and Israel forces in the Iranian province of Markazi, according to the Mehr news agency.

Emirates airlines has announced that it will “operate a limited schedule” today following the temporary closure of Dubai airport leading to suspension of all flight operations suspended after a drone hit a fuel tank and set it on fire.

10:00 am: The war in the Middle East is in its 17th day and continues to rage with no sign of any de-escalation from either side. While on the one hand US President Donald Trump on March 14 claimed that Iran is willing to make a deal but “I don’t want to make it because the terms aren’t good enough yet,” today he is saying that Washington is talking to Iran but the latter is not yet ready to make a deal to end the war. Trump also claims that Iran’s military capabilities have been significantly weakened and insisted however that "they want to make a deal badly".

Dubai in the United Arab Emirates is grappling with a fire as a drone incident caused a fire near the Dubai International Airport. All flights to the airport have been diverted to Al Maktoum International Airport in Jebel Ali. The fire erupted at a fuel tank but has been contained now, says Dubai media office. Dubai police has meanwhile closed the airport road and the airport tunnel urging drivers to take alternative routes.

An Emirates Airline flight from Thiruvananthapuram to Dubai has to return midway after the closure of Dubai airport. Emirates has announced suspension of all flights to and from Dubai.

Trump has demanded that NATO allies help in protecting the Strait of Hormuz even as oil prices keep rising. He has reportedly told about seven countries send warships to help keep the Strait of Hormuz open amid the ongoing war with Iran.

Australia and Japan have both denied reports that they are sending ships to the Strait. 

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has slammed Israeli strikes on fuel depots in Tehran, calling them a violation of international law and a form of 'ecocide'. He has also said that nuclear materials at the country’s facilities have been buried under rubble after the recent attacks.

Saudi Arabia has said its defence forces have intercepted three waves of drones since early this morning, according to reports. Kuwait’s National Guard says it intercepted two drones in the past 24 hours.

Iraqi air defences are responding to drones near the US Embassy in central Baghdad and near the Balad Airbase in Salah al-Din governorate, as per sources to Al Jazeera.

The Iranian Red Crescent Society has said that one of its workers Hamidreza Jahanbakhsh was killed during a rescue operation in  Isfahan Province on March 8. It also claimed that the latest air raids on Tehran has damaged one of its clinics and an aid relief post.

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