US‑Israel war on Iran, Day 23: Trump gives Iran 48 hours to reopen Strait of Hormuz; Qatar helicopter crashes

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Dr Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE President, said the country’s response to Iranian aggression extends beyond an immediate ceasefire, towards securing long-term regional stability.

In a post on X, Gargash said that as the "UAE confronts Iran’s blatant aggression and demonstrate our strength in resilience and steadfastness, our focus goes beyond a ceasefire to solutions that ensure lasting security in the Arabian Gulf, address the nuclear threat, missiles and drones, and put an end to the intimidation of vital waterways."

Abu Dhabi: An Indian national sustained minor injuries after debris fell in the Al Shawamekh area following an incident involving a ballistic missile, according to a statement carried by the Abu Dhabi Media Office.

Relevant authorities said emergency teams responded to the scene after air defence systems dealt with the incoming missile, with debris landing in a residential area.

Authorities urged the public to rely only on official sources for information and to refrain from circulating rumours or unverified reports.

An Iran-backed armed group announced on Monday that it would continue its five-day pause on attacking the US embassy in Baghdad.

Since the start of the war in the Middle East, pro-Iran armed groups have claimed responsibility for near-daily attacks on US interests in Iraq and across the region, while strikes have also targeted these groups.

On Thursday, Kataeb Hezbollah, designated a "terrorist organisation" by Washington, said it would stop attacking the Baghdad embassy under certain conditions, including an end to attacks on residential parts of Iraq and the southern suburbs of Beirut. 

Following the successful interception of a ballistic missile by air defence systems, relevant authorities in Abu Dhabi have responded to an incident involving debris falling in the Al Shawamekh area. The incident resulted in a minor injury to an Indian national. The public is reminded to obtain information from official sources only and avoid spreading rumours or unverified information.

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry offered sincere condolences to the families of Qatar and Turkiye's "martyrs of duty", and to their governments and peoples, after a helicopter crash from technical failure during a routine mission in Qatari waters resulting in the death of Qatari Armed Forces and Qatari-Turkish joint forces crew.

UK PM Keir Starmer and US President Donald Trump agreed in a Sunday call that reopening the Strait of Hormuz is essential for global shipping, BBC reported.

Trump had threatened to "obliterate" Iranian power plants if the Strait stays closed beyond 48 hours. The waterway is vital as it handles ~20% of global oil trade.

Iran claims the Strait is "open" to all except violators of its soil but warns of total closure if its energy sites are hit.

Oil prices rose early Monday after US President Donald Trump gave Iran a 48-hour ultimatum to open the Strait of Hormuz or face decimation of its energy infrastructure and Israel warned the war would continue for several more weeks.

The UAE Ministry of Defence (MOD) has confirmed that its air defence systems responded to incoming missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles launched from Iran, amid rising regional tensions.

The British Ministry of Defence has confirmed that a UK counter-drone unit downed an Iranian drone. The ministry issued an update confirming RAF Typhoons and F-35s are conducting defensive patrols over Cyprus, Jordan, Qatar, and Bahrain. Force protection remains at its highest level as coordination with allies intensifies.

President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has sent a message of condolences to His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar, expressing his sincere sympathies over the passing of a helicopter crew following a technical malfunction that led to its crash in Qatari territorial waters.

The US Central Command said they continue to hunt Iranian Shahed-style drones, long accused of raining death on civilians and vital facilities in the region. The command shared a footage showing how US forces continue to eliminate the Iranian regime’s one-way attack drone capabilities, "used to indiscriminately target civilians throughout the region". The clip captures sleek US munitions slamming into Iranian drone launch sites and storage facilities, sending fireballs erupting as the regime’s cheap but lethal “kamikaze” drones are turned into scrap metal before they can ever terrorise another civilian neighborhood. CentCom stated the campaign is ongoing.

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defence announced the interception and destruction of seven drones in the Eastern Region on Sunday (March 22).

The statement was made by the Ministry’s official spokesperson, Major General Turki Al Maliki, as reported by the Saudi Press Agency.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that maritime traffic isn’t passing through the Strait of Hormuz because insurance companies are concerned about the US-initiated war, not because of Iran’s actions.

“Freedom of Navigation cannot exist without Freedom of Trade. Respect both — or expect neither,” Araghchi wrote on X. He added that further threats will not sway Iranians nor insurers.

A Foreign Ministry statement says “vessels, equipment and any capacities” belonging to the United States and Israel, “as well as other participants in the aggression,” do not qualify.

It also says any security arrangements in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and Sea of Oman must be coordinated with Iran’s “competent authorities,” while taking into account “realities” around armed conflict

Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf on X says that “entities that finance the US military budget are legitimate targets.” He specifically mentions Treasury bonds.

He adds that “we monitor your portfolios. This is your final notice.” It is not the first time Iran has threatened financial entities like banks in the war.

Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency says Iran’s UN ambassador wrote to both the council and UN chief Antonio Guterres. The letter calls attacks on power plants “inherently indiscriminate and clearly disproportionate.”

Trump late Saturday threatened to attack such plants if Iran doesn’t open the Strait of Hormuz in 48 hours.

A letter from Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi asks the council to “compel the aggressors to immediately cease all unlawful attacks” and make them pay reparations for damage to Iran’s nuclear and other sites. Iran’s main enrichment site, Natanz, was struck again Saturday.

The UN’s most powerful body has voted to condemn Iran’s retaliatory strikes on Gulf neighbors but the resolution did not mention the strikes from Israel and the U.S. that launched the war.

The letter also urges the council to make Israel place its own nuclear facilities under “verification and monitoring” of the UN nuclear watchdog. Israel is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons, though it doesn’t confirm or deny their existence.

The State Department issued its latest warning Sunday, noting that airspace closures during the Iran war can disrupt travel and American diplomatic facilities abroad have been targeted inside and outside the Middle East.

“Groups supportive of Iran may target other US interests overseas or locations associated with the United States and/or Americans throughout the world,” the government warned.

Israel faces more weeks of fighting against arch-foes Iran and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said on Sunday.

"Citizens of Israel, we face more weeks of fighting against Iran and Hezbollah," Defrin said in a televised briefing.

"With each passing day, we are further weakening the (Iranian) terror regime. We will not allow it or its proxies to threaten the citizens of Israel or the existence of the state of Israel."

Three strikes south of Iraq's capital, Baghdad, late on Sunday targeted fighters from the former paramilitary coalition Hashed al-Shaabi, local authorities said.

The alliance, also known as the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), is part of Iraq's regular armed forces, but also includes some pro-Iranian groups.

"Units of the PMF were targeted by drone strikes and airstrikes, with three strikes in different locations," said a statement from a local emergency crisis cell, adding that the positions were deserted and there were no casualties.

Air India and Air India Express will together operate 28 scheduled and non-scheduled flights, to and from the West Asia region on March 23.

Both carriers will continue operating their respective scheduled services to and from Jeddah, with a total of 10 flights between India and Jeddah. Of these, Air India will operate one return service each from Delhi and Mumbai, while Air India Express will operate one flight each from Bengaluru, Kozhikode and Mangalore.

In addition, Air India Express will operate 4 scheduled flights to and from Muscat, including services from Delhi and Mumbai, along with 4 scheduled flights to and from Riyadh from Bengaluru and Kozhikode.

In addition to the scheduled services, Air India and Air India Express will operate a total of 10 non-scheduled flights to and from the UAE, subject to availability of slots and other prevailing conditions at the departure stations at the time. These flights are being operated with the requisite permissions from the relevant Indian and local regulatory authorities.

The United States may need to "escalate" its attacks against Iran to be able to wind down the war, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday, after President Donald Trump gave seemingly contradictory trajectories for the US military campaign.

Trump on Saturday threatened to "obliterate" Iranian energy plants if Tehran did not fully open the pivotal Strait of Hormuz, just a day after saying US objectives were "very close" and that he was considering "winding down" the war.

Asked on NBC's "Meet the Press" if Trump was winding down or escalating the war, Bessent said: "They're not mutually exclusive. Sometimes you have to escalate to de-escalate."

"This is the only language the Iranians understand," he argued.

The UAE’s Higher Committee for Internal Security held a meeting on Sunday to review national preparedness and strengthen readiness to address current challenges.

The meeting, chaired by Major General Khalifa Hareb Al Khaili, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior, focused on ensuring business continuity and enhancing the efficiency of the country’s integrated security system.

Held via video conference, the session reviewed the latest weather developments and assessed preparedness levels, as well as field coordination among relevant authorities to ensure a swift response to potential incidents. 

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Sunday slammed Israeli strikes on bridges and other infrastructure in the country's south, calling such attacks a "prelude to a ground invasion".

Aoun "condemned Israel's targeting and destruction of infrastructure and vital facilities in southern Lebanon, particularly the Qasmiyeh bridge over the Litani River and other bridges", a presidency statement said.

"These attacks represent a dangerous escalation and flagrant violation of Lebanon's sovereignty, and are considered a prelude to a ground invasion," Aoun said, hours after Israel's defence minister said the army had been ordered to destroy more bridges allegedly being used by Hezbollah.

Dr Anwar Mohammed Gargash, Diplomatic Adviser to the UAE President, said Iran’s brutal aggression against GCC countries carries profound geopolitical implications and reinforces the centrality of the Iranian threat in Gulf strategic thinking.

He added that the country’s handling of crises offers lessons in both politics and ethics, urging restraint and a focus on enduring relationships rather than transient disagreements.

In a statement, Gargash said: “Iran’s brutal aggression reinforces its threat as a central axis in GCC strategic thinking and underscores the distinct nature of Gulf security, independent of traditional concepts of Arab security. The missiles, drones and aggressive rhetoric are Iranian, and the result is a strengthened drive to enhance our national capabilities, reinforce collective Gulf security, and deepen our security partnerships with Washington.”

He added: “This is the cost of Iran’s miscalculations.”

World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, on Sunday, called for maximum military restraint as the conflict in the Middle East escalates, warning that attacks near nuclear-related facilities in Israel and Iran pose "escalating threat to public health and environmental safety".

In a post on X, Tedros said, "The war in the Middle East has reached a perilous stage with strikes reportedly hitting the Natanz Enrichment Complex in Iran, and the Israeli city of Dimona, where a nuclear facility is located."

Highlighting the potential consequences of such attacks, he warned, "Attacks targeting nuclear sites create an escalating threat to public health and environmental safety."

Iran's military threatened on Sunday to completely shut down the strategic Strait of Hormuz, among other measures, if US President Donald Trump acts on threats to target the country's power plants.

"If the United States' threats regarding Iran's power plants are carried out... the Strait of Hormuz will be completely closed, and it will not be reopened until our destroyed power plants are rebuilt," the military's operational command Khatam Al-Anbiya said in a statement carried by state television.

Iran has already all but choked off the vital waterway, but a relatively small number of vessels have been able to transit it - around 5 per cent of its pre-war volume, according to analytics firm Kpler.

Iran threatened on Sunday to "irreversibly destroy" key infrastructure across the Middle East if US President Donald Trump follows through on his vow to "obliterate" the Islamic republic's power plants unless the Strait of Hormuz swiftly reopens.

The tit-for-tat threats came as the war entered its fourth week and continued to reverberate across the Middle East, with alarm mounting over strikes around nuclear sites.

Trump, under pressure over rising fuel prices, raised the stakes by announcing a countdown over Tehran's de facto blockade of the vital Strait of Hormuz shipping route.

Writing on Truth Social, Trump said the US would "hit and obliterate" Iranian power plants "starting with the biggest one first" if Tehran did not fully reopen the strait within 48 hours, or 23:44 GMT on Monday according to the time of his post.

Iran said it would respond to any such attacks by targeting US energy, IT and desalination infrastructure across the region.

These "will be considered legitimate targets and will be irreversibly destroyed", Iran's powerful parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on X, warning that oil prices would then "rise for a long time".

Iran's critical water and energy infrastructure have suffered extensive damage due to US and Israeli strikes on tens of thousands of civilian sites, officials said on Sunday.

Israel and the US launched strikes on Iran on February 28, killing the Islamic republic's supreme leader and sparking a war that has since spread across the Middle East.

"The country's vital water and electricity infrastructure has suffered heavy damage following terrorist and cyber attacks by the United States and the Zionist regime," said energy minister Abbas Aliabadi, according to ISNA news agency.

"The attacks targeted dozens of water transmission and treatment facilities and destroyed parts of critical water supply networks," he noted, adding that efforts were under way to repair the damage.

Iran's Red Crescent chief Pirhossein Kolivand said the total number of damaged civilian sites "has reached 81,365 based on the latest field assessments".

He said the figure includes residential and commercial units, schools, medical centres and vehicles.

"Behind every damaged unit stands a family, a life, a memory, a livelihood, and a future that has collapsed beneath the rubble of war and violence," he added.

More than 1,200 Iranians have been killed in US and Israeli strikes, according to the latest toll from Iran's health ministry on March 8, which could not be independently verified.

Israel said it had begun striking Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon on Sunday, shortly after the military was ordered to destroy bridges used by the Iran-backed militant group across the Litani River.

"The IDF has begun a wide wave of strikes against Hezbollah terrorist organisation infrastructure in southern Lebanon," the Israeli military said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was noncommittal when asked about Trump’s threats to strike Iran’s power plants if the Strait of Hormuz isn’t opened, and whether Israel would join.

“I think President Trump knows exactly what he’s doing. And whatever we do we do together and as far as possible in confidence,” Netanyahu Israeli prime minister said Sunday.

A warning from US President Donald Trump that the United States will “obliterate” Iran’s power plants if Tehran fails to fully open the Strait of Hormuz in 48 hours underscores how the small strip of water is a vital artery of the world economy.

On a typical day, ships carrying about a fifth of the world’s oil sail out of the Persian Gulf through the narrow passageway between Iran and Oman toward the Indian Ocean.

The war with Iran means it’s effectively closed, hemming in more than 90% of that crude and refined products, according to the International Energy Agency.

Qatar’s Interior Ministry says rescuers found the body of a seventh person who initially had been missing.

The Defence Ministry said four Qatari forces and three Turkish nationals — including a military officer and two civilians — were on board the helicopter that crashed Saturday in Qatari territorial waters.

All seven people on board have now been accounted for.

Defence Minister Boris Pistorius says joint efforts to secure trade routes through the Strait of Hormuz can come only after a ceasefire is achieved.

Pistorius urged Iran to ensure freedom and safe passage in the strait.

He made the comments Sunday during a trip to Japan for talks with his Japanese counterpart, Shinjiro Koizumi.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Sunday to pursue senior commanders of Iran's Revolutionary Guards "personally", during a visit to a town struck by an Iranian missile the previous day.

"We're going after the regime. We're going after the IRGC, this criminal gang," Netanyahu said, as he inspected the damage in the southern Israeli town of Arad.

"We're going after them personally, their leaders, their installations, their economic assets. We're going after them personally."

The second town struck by an Iranian missile on Saturday was Dimona, widely believed to house Israel's undeclared nuclear arsenal.

Nestled in the Negev desert, Dimona sustained extensive damage from a direct hit.

On Sunday, Netanyahu visited the town, urging residents to heed instructions from the military's Home Front Command and take shelter immediately whenever sirens warn of incoming missiles.

"The whole nation is a frontline, the entire home front is a frontline. And when we're at the frontline, we carry out these orders," Netanyahu said.

"So please do this - and this is an order."

Dr. Roy Kessous, deputy director of the Soroka Medical Center in the southern city of Beersheba, has said injuries from the two strikes late Saturday included shrapnel wounds as well as trauma.

Kessous says the hospital is trained for such events, but the scale — including entire families wounded together and in some cases left homeless — added to the pressure.

He said the hospital already is prepared for a similar emergency, telling The Associated Press: “We are ready to receive wounded from the area again right now.”

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz expanded the military’s list of targets in Lebanon to include all bridges over the country’s Litani River, a focal point of the renewed Israel-Hezbollah conflict.

Katz on Sunday accused Lebanon’s Iran-backed militant group of using the crossings over the waterway, about 30 kilometers (18.5 miles) north of Israel’s border, to move fighters and weapons into southern Lebanon.

Katz also ordered the military to accelerate its destruction of Lebanese homes near Israel’s northern border “to eliminate threats to Israeli communities.”

Abbas Araghchi called on “independent nations” to pressure both the US and Israel to stop their war against Iran.

The top Iranian diplomat says any efforts to end the war should include “guarantees” that the U.S. and Israel won’t once again attack the Islamic Republic, according to the state-run news agency IRNA.

Iran needs guarantees that its “sovereignty and national security won’t be violated again,” according to IRNA.

Araghchi’s comments came in a phone call Saturday with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, the news agency said.

The UAE Ministry of Defence says its air defence systems dealt with four ballistic missiles and 25 drones launched toward the country today from Iran, officials confirmed. Since the start of the Iranian aggression, UAE air defences have intercepted 345 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles, and 1,773 UAVs.

Casualties and injuries

The attacks have claimed the lives of two UAE Armed Forces personnel performing their national duty, along with six foreign nationals from Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Palestine.

A total of 160 people were injured, with cases ranging from minor to severe. The injured include nationals from the UAE, Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Pakistan, Iran, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Azerbaijan, Yemen, Uganda, Eritrea, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Comoros, Türkiye, Iraq, Nepal, Nigeria, Oman, Jordan, Palestine, Ghana, Indonesia, Sweden, and Tunisia.

Defence readiness

The Ministry of Defence affirmed that it remains fully prepared to respond to any threats. Officials stressed that the UAE will firmly confront any attempts to undermine national security, while safeguarding sovereignty, stability, and critical national capabilities.

The UAE says its air defence systems are actively responding to incoming missile and drone threats launched from Iran, amid rising regional tensions.

Authorities clarified that the loud sounds reported across parts of the country were caused by defensive interceptions, not by missile or drone impacts on the ground.

Iraq’s Civil Aviation Authority on Sunday announced the extension of the country’s airspace closure to all incoming, outgoing and transit flights for an additional 72 hours, citing ongoing security assessments linked to regional developments. 

In a statement carried by the Iraqi News Agency (INA), the authority said the closure will remain in effect from 12:00pm local time (09:00 GMT) on Sunday, March 22, 2026, until 12:00pm on Wednesday, describing the move as a temporary precautionary measure. 

INA said the decision was based on continuous evaluations of the security situation and the evolving regional landscape, adding that the measure would be reviewed depending on further developments.

Israel's military said on Sunday that Iran had fired more than 400 ballistic missiles at Israel since the start of the Middle East war, with around 92 percent of them intercepted.

"Iran has fired over 400 ballistic missiles. We have had great inception rates. We have approximately a 92 percent successful interception rate," Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani told journalists.

Iranian missiles struck two towns in southern Israel on Saturday, leaving some 175 people needing medical treatment.

The Ministry of Defence announced that, as part of ongoing search and rescue operations for the helicopter that crashed at dawn Sunday in Qatar’s territorial waters, the following have been confirmed deceased:

• Captain (Pilot) Mubarak Salem Daway Al Marri – Qatar Armed Forces

• Sergeant Fahad Hadi Ghanem Al Khayarin – Qatar Armed Forces

• Corporal Mohammed Maher Mohammed – Qatar Armed Forces

• Major Sinan Taştekin – Qatar-Turkiye Joint Forces

• Suleiman Cemra Kahraman – Turkish civilian collaborator

• Ismail Anas Can – Turkish civilian collaborator

The search operation is ongoing for Captain (Pilot) Saeed Nasser Samekh of the Qatar Armed Forces, who remains missing.

UK minister Steve Reed on Sunday said one missile launched by Iran targeting a joint UK-US military base in the Indian Ocean "fell short" while another missile was "intercepted".

"Our assessment is that the Iranians certainly targeted Diego Garcia," a military base some 4,000 kilometres (2,500 miles) away from Iran, Reed told the BBC.

"As we understand it, one missile fell short, failed, the other was intercepted and prevented," said the housing minister, who was representing the government on the Sunday morning shows.

"But I don't think it's a surprise this has happened, Iran has been recklessly firing missiles around the region," he added.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has renewed its strong condemnation and denunciation of the continued Iranian attacks on member states, including the deliberate targeting of infrastructure and oil facilities, in flagrant violation of international law and norms, and a direct threat to regional security, stability and the safety of global energy supplies.

Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, GCC Secretary-General, affirmed that the continuation of these attacks reveals Iran's escalatory approach toward GCC countries and constitutes unacceptable aggression that undermines de-escalation efforts and threatens regional and international security.

He rejected Iran's baseless claims blaming GCC states for any military operations, stressing that GCC countries firmly uphold respect for sovereignty, non-interference in internal affairs, and the promotion of regional and global peace and security.

Bahrain Defence Force said its air defense systems were responding to missile and drone attacks from Iran.

The Defence Ministry said two missiles and two drones were launched at the kingdom island, which hosts the US 5th Fleet.

It said a total of 145 missiles and 146 drones have now been fired at Bahrain since the start of the war.

The distance learning system in the UAE represents a key pillar ensuring the continuity of the educational process and the flexibility of implementing academic plans under various circumstances. The country has developed an advanced and adaptable education system capable of responding swiftly to changes and emergencies without compromising quality or continuity.

The decision to continue distance learning in public and private schools for two weeks reflects the high level of readiness of educational institutions and their ability to transition immediately to alternative learning models that ensure the smooth continuation of education.

The Supreme Leader is dead. His successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, has not been seen in public since the strike that killed his father — raising fresh questions over who is actually running the country.

Ali Larijani, the regime’s key wartime strategist and de facto decision-maker, has been killed.

Senior figures across defence, intelligence and security ministries have been wiped out, along with some of the most important commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Yet, even after this decapitation of its leadership, Iran is not stepping back. Instead, it is signalling a willingness to prolong the war — betting that endurance, not immediate victory, could reshape the conflict in its favour, according to an analysis by CNN.

The Ministry of Interior has confirmed that six of the seven people on board a helicopter that crashed in Qatar’s territorial waters have been found dead. Search and rescue teams continue intensive efforts to locate the remaining missing person.

The Ministry expressed condolences to the families of the deceased, praying for mercy for the victims and patience for their loved ones.

Iranian diplomat says transit through Strait of Hormuz is open, except for ‘enemies’

Iran’s top diplomat in the UK says transit through the Strait of Hormuz is possible with coordination with Tehran, a semiofficial news agency reported Sunday.

“The Strait of Hormuz is open to everyone except enemies,” Seyed Ali Mousavi, Iran’s Permanent Representative to the International Maritime Organization, was quoted by Tasnim news agency as saying.

“Navigation is possible with coordination for security and safety arrangements,” said Mousavi, who also serves as Iran’s ambassador to Britain.

A man trapped in a vehicle was found dead following a direct missile hit on a community near the Lebanon border, CNN reports.

Footage released by Israel’s emergency services showed fierce flames engulfing two vehicles that blocked a road in the northern kibbutz of Misgav Am.

“We arrived at the scene and saw two vehicles on fire,” said an emergency responder from Magen David Adom, noting that the man was found in the driver’s seat with “no signs of life.”

Separately, the Israeli military reported a missile launch from Lebanon toward a community along the northern border. CNN has not confirmed whether the two incidents are linked.

Itamar Ben-Gvir is visiting the southern town of Arad, where dozens of people were hurt by a missile strike overnight.

The national security minister says Israel is waging a “historic battle” against Iran and that it must “continue until victory.”

Jazeera Airways will resume flights to and from Sohag in Egypt via Qaisumah Airport in Saudi Arabia starting March 29. This marks the airline’s sixth Egyptian destination via Qaisumah, alongside Alexandria, Cairo, Sphinx, Assiut, and Luxor.

The move responds to rising demand for family reunions and essential travel among Kuwait’s Egyptian expatriate community, the largest Arab group in the country. Passengers check in at Mishref International Fairground Hall 8 before taking buses to Qaisumah Airport.

Tickets can be booked through Jazeera Airways’ website or mobile app, with plans to gradually expand flights and destinations.

Blasts were heard and air raid sirens sounded in Jerusalem on Sunday after the Israeli military warned of incoming missile fire from Iran.

The army issued several alerts saying it had identified that "missiles were launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel".

Israel's Magen David Adom emergency medical service said after the first warning that there were no immediate reports of casualties.

Israel's military said personnel were attending "impact sites" in central Israel, with local media showing images of light damage by a road in the city of Holon near Tel Aviv.

The latest alerts come after Iranian missiles struck two towns in southern Israel on Saturday evening.

The Soroka medical centre said it had received and treated 175 people, and 10 were in serious condition, including at least one child.

The blasts in the towns of Dimona and Arad tore open residential buildings and gouged craters in the ground.

Te Japanese government has confirmed the release of one of the two Japanese nationals who had been detained in Iran, according to a report by Kyodo News.

In a development shared on Sunday, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi confirmed that the individual, who had been in custody since June, departed via Azerbaijan last Wednesday and arrived in Japan in good health.

Addressing the status of the remaining detainee, Motegi stated, "We are working toward the early release of the other individual."

Reports from a non-profit organisation suggest the second individual is the Tehran bureau chief of the public broadcaster NHK, who was taken into custody by local authorities on 20 January.

The Omani Foreign Ministry has confirmed that a group of citizens returning from the Islamic Republic of Iran has safely arrived home.

The repatriation process was carried out through coordinated land and air travel, in collaboration with Oman’s diplomatic missions in Tehran and Ankara, as part of an approved plan, Oman News Agency (ONA) reported.

The Ministry said it continues to monitor the situation around the clock, working closely with overseas missions to ensure the safety and security of Omani citizens abroad.

Several blasts could be heard from Jerusalem on Sunday, AFP journalists said, after the Israeli military warned of incoming missile fire from Iran towards central Israel.

Israel's Magen David Adom emergency medical service said there were no immediate reports of casualties.

Iran's official IRNA news agency said on Sunday that a drone attack targeted a military base near the Baghdad International Airport.

The "military base, located near Baghdad International Airport, has again been the target of drone strikes," IRNA wrote, referring to a compound that was used in the past by the US military.

Kuwait Airways will restart flights to and from Cairo via Dammam Airport in Saudi Arabia on Thursday, March 26, operating four times a week (Saturdays, Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays).

Passengers will travel by company buses from Kuwait to Dammam and must have a Saudi transit visa.

Royal and Business Class passengers can use a limousine service to Khairan Mall, where all travelers must collect boarding passes 24 hours before departure. Bus departures to the Nuwaiseeb border close eight hours before the flight.

The Israeli army says it has detected a new missile launch from Iran aimed at Israeli territory.

According to the military, air defence systems are actively working to intercept the incoming threat and protect civilian areas

Sri Lanka raised fuel prices by 25 percent, the second increase in two weeks, as the country prepared for more impact from the war in the Middle East.

Regular petrol was increased to 398 rupees ($1.30) per litre, up from 317 rupees, while diesel, the fuel commonly used for public transport, rose by 79 rupees to 382.

Last week, the government ordered an eight percent increase in retail fuel prices and introduced rationing to limit consumption.

Qatar’s Ministry of Interior has confirmed that specialised teams are conducting search and rescue operations in the country’s territorial waters following a helicopter crash.

The Ministry of Defence reported the incident, while QNA noted that rescue efforts are underway to locate any survivors and secure the crash site.

Details about the cause of the crash have not yet been released. Authorities continue to monitor the situation closely.

Amid the global supply chain crisis, a large cargo ship carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from the US has arrived at the Mangalore Port in the country.

Pyxis Pioneer cargo ship carrying LPG from the US state of Texas, successfully docked at the port.

Before the ship from the US, named Aqua Titan, reached India, another vessel carrying Russian crude oil also reached Mangalore, reports media.

This particular vessel was stationed about 18 nautical miles away from the port. The single-point mooring system will be used to transfer the oil to the pipeline system and take it to MRPL.

The Russian crude oil arrived after the US issued a temporary general license, permitting the sale of Russian crude oil already stranded at sea as of March 12.

Iran warned early Sunday that any strike on its energy facilities would prompt attacks on US and Israeli energy and infrastructure assets in the region, according to a statement carried by Iran’s state media and semiofficial outlets, citing an Iranian military spokesperson.

The threat came after US President Donald Trump threatened to strike Iranian power plants if Iran didn’t fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz in 48 hours.

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defence confirmed multiple interceptions of missiles and drones targeting the kingdom.

• In the Eastern Region, authorities destroyed five drones during recent attacks.

• Three ballistic missiles were launched toward the Riyadh Region. One missile was intercepted, while the other two fell in unpopulated areas.

• Officials reported no casualties or damage from the attacks.

The Ministry reiterated that all necessary measures are in place to protect civilians and critical infrastructure.

 Iranian missile strikes on two southern Israeli towns wounded more than 100 people on Saturday, medics said, after Israeli air defence systems failed to intercept the projectiles.

The two direct hits tore open the fronts of residential buildings and carved craters into the ground.

Magen David Adom first responders said 84 people were wounded in the town of Arad, 10 of them seriously, hours after 33 were wounded in nearby Dimona.

Iranian state TV said the missile attack on Dimona, which houses a nuclear facility, was a "response" to an earlier strike on its own nuclear site at Natanz.

Fire engines with their lights flashing were at the scene along with dozens of members of the emergency services.

The Israeli military said it would investigate the failed interception.

UAE air defences are actively responding to missile and drone threats from Iran. Authorities have advised residents to move to the nearest secure building, avoid windows, doors, and open areas, and await official instructions. They emphasised the importance of staying in safe locations, following official channels for real-time updates, and remaining vigilant as the situation develops.

Qatar has launched a search and rescue operation after a helicopter crashed into its territorial waters following a technical malfunction.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the Qatari Ministry of Defence said the aircraft experienced a mechanical fault while carrying out a routine mission, resulting in the crash at sea.

Specialised teams in Qatar are currently conducting search and rescue operations within the country’s territorial waters, according to a statement from the Qatari Ministry of Interior, according to the Qatar News Agency.

Coordination between high-readiness units remains ongoing as they navigate the designated search areas to ensure a comprehensive response.

Saturday’s Israeli strikes come after dozens of people were injured in Israel by Iranian missile strikes targeting two areas not far from the country’s main nuclear research center.

The US president issued the ultimatum in a social media post while he spent the weekend in Florida.

He said he’s giving Iran exactly 48 hours to open the vital waterway or face a new round of attacks. He said the US would destroy “various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!”

Trump faces increasing pressure to secure the strait as oil prices soar.

The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs renewed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s unequivocal condemnation of the blatant Iranian attacks against the Kingdom, the states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and a number of Arab and Islamic countries.

In a statement carried by Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the ministry said that the continued targeting by Iran of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia—its sovereignty, civilian objects, civilians, economic interests, and diplomatic premises within the Kingdom—constitutes a flagrant violation of all relevant international conventions, the principles of good neighborliness and respect for states’ sovereignty, the Beijing Agreement, and United Nations Security Council Resolution 2817 (2026).

It also contradicts the principles of Islamic brotherhood and the values and tenets of the Islamic faith that the Iranian side continuously invokes, thereby confirming that such statements are not reflected in its actions.

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defence announced today the interception and destruction of 11 drones in the airspace of the Eastern Region.

The announcement was made in a statement by Major General Turki Al-Malki, Spokesperson of the Ministry, carried by the Saudi Press

The Kingdom of Bahrain announced that its air defence systems have successfully intercepted and destroyed 143 missiles and 244 drones that targeted its territory since the start of the Iranian aggression.

The General Command of the Bahrain Defence Force, in a statement carried by the Bahrain News Agency (BNA), affirmed that the use of ballistic missiles and drones to target civilian objects and private property constitutes a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and the United Nations Charter.

It stressed that these indiscriminate and malicious attacks represent a direct threat to regional peace and security.

Day 22: Trump says US considering ‘winding down’ war

Day 21: UK to let US use bases for strikes on Iran threats

Day 20: Trump vows to destroy Iran gas field; UAE intercepts threats

Day 19: Iran warns of 'consequences' after gas field hit

Day 18: Iran confirms security chief Ali Larijani killed

Day 17:  Trump urges allies to secure Strait of Hormuz,

Day 16: Trump calls for allies on Strait of Hormuz security

Day 15: Trump threatens Iran’s oil infrastructure after US bombs Kharg

Day 14: Trump vows intense strikes against Iran in coming days

Day 13: US refueling aircraft crashes in Iraq

Day 12: Donald Trump says Iran near point of defeat

Day 11: US says today will be the 'most intense' of attacks

Day 10: UAE intercepts 15 missiles and 119 drones