Almost 100,000 Britons trapped in the Middle East have registered with the Foreign Office as the UK draws up plans for one of the biggest evacuations of its citizens in peacetime.
Airspace across the Gulf is largely closed as the US and Israel launched a co-ordinated attack on Iran – and retaliatory strikes from Tehran then hit tourist and expat hotspots such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Kuwait.
Flights from major hubs in the region have been cancelled en masse, stranding tens of thousands of Brits working, holidaying or transiting through.
Amongst them is an army of influencers in Dubai, although some have vowed to stay on claiming it is still safer than London despite a wave of Iranian missile strikes and suicide drone attacks.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said today there are around 300,000 British citizens in Gulf countries targeted by Iran, who have targeted airports and hotels.
And 94,000 of those have already registered with the Foreign Office as Sir Keir Starmer and his ministers are understood to be drawing up contingency plans to evacuate them over land from the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar to Saudi Arabia.
British nationals are being told to register their location but stay put, for now.
Ms Cooper said: ‘We are setting up the support systems because as well as the 94,000 people who have been in touch when we set up the “register your presence” system, there’s an estimated 300,000 British citizens in Gulf countries that have now been targeted by Iran, including countries where now airspace is closed as a result of those attacks.
‘That is, of course, extremely stressful for people who include holidaymakers and transit passengers at airports, people who have gone there for business trips, as well as those who live in the region as well.
‘So we’re saying to people, the most important thing at the moment is to follow the local advice, which in most places is around sheltering in place, and we are sending out rapid deployment teams to the region to work with the travel industry, to work with local governments as well, to make sure that citizens can get support.
‘Of course, we want people to get safely home as swiftly as possible.’
Asked if evacuation plans were being drawn up she said: ‘We are working on every possible option.’
Chaos at airports across the Gulf, including Dubai (pictured), as Iran hit back with drone and missile strikes, stranding approaching 100,000 Brits in a region where 300,000 people from the UK live
Stranded passengers wait near Emirates Airways customer service office after flights to Doha, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi were cancelled
Smoke rises from a reported Iranian strike in the area where the US Embassy is located in Kuwait City. The US has hit Iran hard in the last 24 hours
The Fairmont Palm hotel in Dubai was hit over the weekend as tourist areas were targetted by Iran
Countries across the Gulf scrambled to close their airspaces as the US and Israel launched a co-ordinated attack on Iran over the weekend, and retaliatory strikes across the Middle East followed.
Travel plans were plunged into chaos after airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Kuwait were hit, killing at least one person and injuring 11.
Nearly 6,000 flights have been cancelled globally and almost 30,000 delayed since the conflict broke out, according to the flight tracking website FlightRadar. It marks one of the biggest disruptions to travel since the pandemic.
In the UK, 24 of the 56 flights that were due to depart from London Heathrow to the Middle East yesterday were cancelled.
The Government’s advice for most people in the region is to stay put. Evacuation plans will only be enacted if it becomes clear that the airspace will remain closed for a prolonged period.
The Foreign Office urged British nationals in Bahrain, Israel, Palestine, Qatar and the UAE to register online, so that they can be kept up to date.
‘If you are a British national in those countries, you should shelter in place and register your presence,’ it said in a post on X.
The scale of the operation is unprecedented, with the ‘register your presence’ scheme never having handled so many people.
It could become the biggest mass evacuation in a generation, after several thousand British citizens were evacuated last summer after tit-for-tat missile strikes between Israel and Iran.
More than 15,000 were evacuated from Afghanistan in August 2021 after the Taliban took power.
Amanda Murdoch, 55, from the Lake District, was transiting through Dubai on her way home from New Zealand when she became stranded.
She had been visiting her eldest son and was due to meet the rest of her family in Edinburgh. Mrs Murdoch described ‘utter carnage’ at the airport, with no announcements except for one telling people to leave the building, and boards displaying cancellations.
Here, she met another woman travelling solo, Lindsey Kelley, 41, from Seattle, Washington. ‘She was a stranger yesterday, and today she’s my best friend,’ Mrs Murdoch said.
Planes are parked at Terminal 3 of the Dubai International Airport as airspace over the Golf states is largely closed
Air passengers have been urged to stay away as flights are grounded
A missile launched from Iran is pictured in the sky from the Bureij camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip
Families flee after US-Israel strikes hit central Tehran
The women said there was a ‘mass exodus’ and it took them three hours to leave the airport, which was packed with thousands of people.
Her airline, Emirates, has advised passengers travelling before or on March 5 to rebook or request a refund.
But she said she had been unable to contact the company, with phone lines cutting off and live chat features overwhelmed.
And while she registered with the Foreign Office, she had received no further communication from them.
Authorities in Abu Dhabi said a drone targeting Zayed International Airport (AUH) was intercepted overnight on Saturday, leading to ‘falling debris’ which killed one person and injured seven.
Across the region, flights were cancelled and airports closed.
Dubai International Airport (DXB) – one of the world’s busiest for international flights – halted operations after an ‘incident’ injured four staff.
All flights from Dubai International and Dubai Al Maktoum were suspended until further notice, and airports in Doha also closed.
The three major airlines that operate at these hubs – Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad – typically have about 90,000 passengers a day passing through them.
At Heathrow, Britain’s busiest airport, more than 30 flights due to depart on Sunday or Monday were cancelled, leaving thousands of passengers in the lurch.
A host of celebrities who have moved to Dubai have shared terrified updates after getting caught up in Iranian missile strikes on the famous Palm Jumeirah.
Luisa Zissman, Petra Ecclestone and Love Island star Arabella Chi are among a group of stars who have shared their fears, after being stuck in widespread revenge attacks across the Middle East following US airstrikes.
Branding it the ‘scariest, worst nights of our lives’, many spoke of how scared they were hearing the constant bangs overhead, while sheltering in their homes as the strikes rage on across the UAE.
While reassuring their followers that they are currently ‘safe’ as the air defence systems intercept the vast majority of incoming missiles and drones, they implored how scary it was to listen to the explosions all night long.
Luisa Zissman, who announced in December last year she was relocating from the UK to Dubai with her family and horses to escape the British weather and rising crime, led the celebs updating fans about the current circumstances.
Alongside a selfie of her taken outside, Luisa wrote: ‘Lots of messages re Dubai. Lots of bangs we are hearing. Stay safe fellow UAE gang.’
Taking her to Instagram story to talk about the developing situation, F1 heiress Petra Ecclestone, said: ‘It was one of the most scary, worst nights actually of my life.
‘I feel like us and the family have been through a lot recently for personal reasons. We came to Dubai to feel safe, and we finally felt like we were settling in, and now this has happened. So it’s really kind of been a shocking turn of events.
Luisa Zissman (pictured), Petra Ecclestone and Love Island star Arabella Chi are among a group of stars who have shared their fears, after being stuck in widespread revenge attacks across the Middle East following US airstrikes
Taking her to Instagram story to talk about the developing situation, F1 heiress Petra Ecclestone, said: ‘It was one of the most scary, worst nights actually of my life’
‘But thank God we are safe. It was just really, yeah, not a great night. I hope everyone is staying safe and we shall all get through this. I just want to say thank you so much.’
Petra went on to say she doesn’t know how to explain what is happening to her young children, Lavinia, James, Andrew and Minnie, who are living with her in Dubai.
She said: ‘I don’t have the answers to certain things, and that was terrible — just being asked what’s going to happen next, whether it’s going to stop, and hearing the bangs in the night.
‘I think just trying to protect them and tell them that they’re going to be okay. But then as a mum, obviously you don’t have all the answers. So yeah, that was tough.
‘I can’t even imagine other people in history who have gone through wars and had to live through it day to day, like my dad, and this just being normal life. And then kids having to go to school with that sort of anxiety and worry. It was quite an eye-opening experience last night.’
Iran has so far launched hundreds of missiles and suicide drones at Dubai as it continues its onslaught across the Middle East after the assassination of its Supreme Leader.
Smoke was rising from Dubai International Airport this morning and blasts heard in a number of regional states, with Iran vowing to unleash its ‘most intense offensive operation in history’.
Tehran is launching revenge strikes after confirming Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been killed by joint US-Israeli strikes, along with four of his family members and at least two high level military leaders.
Yesterday, Iranian suicide drones hit landmark hotels the Burj Al Arab and Palm Jumeirah in Dubai, sparking panic among tourists.
Explosions were again this morning echoing across the city, which has become a haven for wealthy British expats, as it suffers renewed attacks.
Petra’s husband Sam Palmer also used his platform to discuss the strikes, telling his followers that the military were doing a great job of defending the area.
He said: ‘Thanks very much for the lovely messages. We are all safe, although something that hate of mine is when people say, stay safe, like as if it’s an option. What do you think you can do, run around with a target on your back?
‘I’ve got to say, it was a bit alarming when we had all the phones went off at 12:30 last night, and it had the message from the government, take shelter, the missiles incoming, et cetera. All you can hear is loud, loud noises of the missiles being intercepted, it seems, by the defense team doing an amazing job. So keep it up, lads. You’re keeping everyone safe.
Petra’s husband Sam Palmer also used his platform to discuss the strikes, telling his followers that the military were doing a great job of defending the area
Reality personality Arabella has explained that her brother who was visiting her is now stuck in Dubai until the situation is resolved
Reality personality Arabella has explained that her brother who was visiting her is now stuck in Dubai until the situation is resolved
‘I know it looks worse on the news, but yeah, it is scary. The kids are scared. We’re scared. I’ve never been in a missile attack before. Hopefully it’s all over very, very soon. But thank you for your lovely, lovely messages.
‘It’s nice to know you care. Maybe it’s because I make you laugh. Anyway, stay safe. Text someone today, stay safe, because then they have to delete that message out of the thousands. Stay safe. Thanks.’
