Abu Dhabi [UAE], March 3 (ANI): The Embassy of India, Abu Dhabi, issued an advisory to Indian nationals in the UAE, assuring full support amid heightened West Asia regional tensions.

In a post on X on Monday, by the Indian Embassy in the UAE, Ambassador Deepak Mittal addressed the Indian community, urging them to remain cautious.

https://x.com/IndembAbuDhabi/status/2028508345385312631

'To all the members of the Indian Community in the UAE, I am reaching out to you during these unprecedented times that we are all facing for the last 48 hours. I want to assure you that the Govt of India attaches very high importance to the safety, security and well-being of the Indian nationals across the region and in the UAE,' he said.

The Ambassador highlighted high-level diplomatic engagement between the two countries. He said, 'PM Narendra Modi has spoken to President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and also, earlier, EAM Dr Jaishankar spoke to the Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed.'

Mittal said, 'We have thanked them for the prompt and effective action they have taken to ensure the safety and security of the country, the residents and the Indian community here in the UAE.'

He added that the Indian embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate in Dubai are operating round the clock to assist nationals.

'The Indian Embassy in the UAE and the Indian Consulate in Dubai are working around the clock to ensure that we are available to all the members of the community. We are running helplines 24/7 and emails,' he said.

Meanwhile, the Evacuation Cell of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Tuesday that a small number of flights have departed from the Dubai International Airport and Dubai World Central International Airport. It added that the UAE airspace has partially reopened under restricted corridors and that access is strictly controlled.

The MEA said that while regular services remain heavily suspended, a small number of inbound and outbound flights were permitted to start operating on Monday evening.

The statement said, 'A small number of flights have now departed from DXB/OMDB (Dubai International Airport) and DWC/OMDW (Dubai World Central International Airport). While the airports are no longer completely closed, they are not yet fully open to the public. Access is strictly controlled, and regular scheduled services remain heavily disrupted. A small number of inbound and outbound flights were permitted to start operating on the evening of 2nd March. UAE airspace has partially reopened under restricted corridors, but much of the surrounding regional airspace remains closed or highly volatile.'

The scope of the conflict continues to widen with the Gulf States now drawn into it after US-Israeli strikes as a part of Operation Epic Fury/ Roaring Lion struck targets across Iran and resulted in the death of Iran's Supreme Commander, Ayatollah Khamenei.

In response to the joint American-Israeli strikes, Iran retaliated by launching ballistic missiles and drones at US assets and allies across the region, including Israel, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan, further widening the conflict and heightening risks for civilians and expatriates alike.

World leaders and international bodies are currently urging de-escalation as the risk of a wider regional conflict grows, though fighting continues without a clear end in sight. (ANI)