Growing tensions in the Middle East, caused by the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, have led to mass flight cancellations and panic among residents and tourists in Dubai. With the threat of a full-scale war growing, airlines have cancelled or postponed flights to the UK, Oman, Kuwait, as well as to Iraq, Iran and Jordan. The move comes amid fears that passenger planes could come under fire during possible hostilities.

The current crisis is reportedly caused by a missile attack by Iran on Tuesday evening. Tehran fired 180 ballistic missiles at Israel in response to ongoing Israeli air strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. Although most of the Iranian missiles were intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense system, the attack was seen as a major escalation of the conflict and brought the region to the brink of war.

Israel is considering a retaliatory strike, which military sources say could happen within hours. Potential targets include Iran's oil fields, military bases and nuclear facilities. Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak said in an interview that Israel has an "urgent need to respond" to Tehran's actions. He added that no sovereign state can remain indifferent to such blatant aggression.

Amid the threat of retaliation, Emirates has suspended flights from Dubai to a number of countries, including Iraq, Iran and Jordan. The airline said in a statement:

“We are closely monitoring the situation and making every effort to minimize inconvenience to our customers.”

Passengers are urged to check the status of their flights on the Emirates website before departure.

flydubai also said it was suspending flights to Dubai and Beirut until Monday, although flights to Iran, Iraq and Jordan have resumed.