Little is enough

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"IT'S NOT OUR WAR". GULF NATIONS TRY TO CHAOS AS CONFLICT SPREADS.

“It’s not our war,” a regional source told me earlier in the week, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive policy issues. The same sentiment reverberated through many conversations in Riyadh. Yet, explosions and fires caused by drones, missiles and debris of interceptions are serving the Gulf nations the ashy taste of war zones.

In the months leading up to the joint US-Israel attack, Arab nations argued strenuously against a prolonged war.

They understood that the chaos resulting from regime collapse in Iran would ensnare their economies and security for years. These repercussions are likely to far outlast the Iranian drones and missiles that are currently shattering the Arabian Gulf’s carefully tended brand of stability and prosperity.

“The kingdom is on a course of social and industrial and commercial development. We want to continue on that route instead of having military conflicts in the area,” former Saudi intelligence Chief Prince Turki Al-Faisal told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour this week. Instead, Saudi Arabia and its Arab neighbors are trapped between the “apocalyptic agendas” of Israel and Iran, he said.

That route has been upended. In the United Arab Emirates, billionaire Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor slammed Trump for dragging the region into war after promising peace and prosperity.

Official statements from Gulf nations condemning Iranian attacks have stressed that they have not allowed the US to use their airspace or territory to launch attacks.

And while the same statements note that Arab Gulf countries reserve the right to respond to Iranian aggression, hitting back comes with strategic and political risks.

Taking this option means weighing the reliability of the US as a political partner and weapons supplier. Israel’s attack on Qatar, home to the biggest US air base in the region, in September is still fresh in people’s minds.

And away from these calculations, optics matter. “Do you want to be seen as siding with Israel against another fellow Muslim country?” the regional source said.

US President Donald Trump wants “unconditional surrender” from Iran, warning there will not be a deal without that.
Massive explosions hit several locations across Iran today as the war enters its seventh day.
Israeli jets have bombed southern and eastern Lebanese towns as well as targeting the southern suburbs of the capital Beirut.
At least 1,332 people have been killed in US and Israeli attacks on Iran since Saturday, and the semi-official Fars News Agency reports that drone and missile attacks late on Thursday night.
Visit our live tracker for the latest on casualty figures from across the region.

Just in:
US President Donald Trump wants “unconditional surrender” from Iran, warning there will not be a deal without that.
Massive explosions hit several locations across Iran today as the war enters its seventh day.
Israeli jets have bombed southern and eastern Lebanese towns as well as targeting the southern suburbs of the capital Beirut.
At least 1,332 people have been killed in US and Israeli attacks on Iran since Saturday, and the semi-official Fars News Agency reports that two schools were hit by missiles in the town of Parand, southwest of the capital Tehran.
Iran continued to target Gulf countries from the UAE to Qatar and Bahrain, while Israel’s Tel Aviv came under combined drone and missile attacks late on Thursday night.
Visit our live tracker for the latest on casualty figures from across the region.

TANKER STRUCK OFF THE COAST OF KUWAIT , UK MARITINE MONITOR SAYS
A tanker off the coast of Kuwait has been hit by a "large explosion", causing an oil spill, British maritime security agency UKMTO says.

"There is oil in the water coming from a cargo tank which could have some environmental impact, the vessel has taken on water, there are no fires reported and the crew are safe and well," UKMTO says.

The tanker reported seeing a small watercraft fleeing the vicinity after the explosion, UKMTO adds.

QATAR AIRWAYS TO OPERATE RELIEF FLIGHTS TO EUROPEAN CITIES

published at 06:20
06:20
Qatar Airways has just announced it will operate relief flights from the Middle East to several European cities on Thursday.

Flights from Muscat, Oman will depart for London Heathrow, Berlin, Copenhagen, Madrid, Rome and Amsterdam.

Another flight will leave from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for Frankfurt.

The airline's main operations out of Doha remain temporarily suspended "due to the closure of Qatari airspace", it said in a statement on X.

It adds: "Passengers are kindly requested not to proceed to the airport unless they have received an official notification from Qatar Airways for these flights.

TAKES TOLL ON THE MIDDLE EAST

Countries throughout the Middle East - including Lebanon, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates - are increasingly feeling the toll of the conflict.

In Iran, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency says that, as of 3 March, there have been over 1,000 civilian deaths since the war began, and hundreds more reported deaths are under review.

Here are some photos from across the region.

evacuates residents near US Embassy in Doha

Qatar has begun evacuating residents living near the US Embassy in Doha as a temporary precautionary measure, according to the Qatar Ministry of Interior.

“Suitable accommodation has been provided for them as part of necessary preventive measures,” the Ministry said in a statement on X.

It comes after US embassies in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, and the US consulate in Dubai, were attacked by drones this week.

This week the US State Department issued a warning to American citizens to immediately leave the Middle East even as many flights from the region were cancelled or suspended.

The US government has been scrambling to book charter flights for American citizens in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, and seeking to help people stranded elsewhere book tickets on commercial flights.

A US state department official said that since 28 February, about 17,500 citizens have returned from the Middle East.

Iran reports 153 killed in school strike as IDF says it's 'not aware' of operation in the area
published at 15:54
15:54
Crowds of men, some wearing helmets or masks, search the ruins of a building
Image source,Reuters
An Iranian official says 153 people have died after a girls’ school in Minab was hit in yesterday's strikes, according to Iran's judiciary-affiliated Mizan News Agency.

Another Iranian official had previously said the school, located about 600m (1,968ft) from the base of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, had been "targeted by three missile attacks".

The BBC has verified clips of the aftermath, showing smoke rising from a building as crowds gather nearby and people can be heard screaming in panic.

But we have not been able to independently verify the death toll - international news organisations are often refused visas to Iran, which severely limits their ability to gather information there.

An Israel Defense Forces spokesperson says he is "not aware" of any operation in the area. "I've also seen Americans say that they are checking looking into the incident," he adds.

UAE says Iranian drones attacked naval base, causing fire
published at 15:48
15:48
The UAE Ministry of Defence (MoD) says a team has dealt with an incident involving two Iranian drones targeting a warehouse at Al-Salam Naval Base in Abu Dhabi.

The attack caused a fire in two containers storing general materials, but there were no casualties, the ministry says.

The MoD strongly condemns what it calls "blatant aggression and a flagrant violation of national sovereignty and international law".

Iranian state media reported that at least two strikes hit a military base in Abu Dhabi, but did not say why the base was targeted.

Earlier, it said it has dealt with 167 missiles and 541 Iranian drones since the conflict began on Saturday.

Beit Shemesh strike death toll revised to eight
published at 14:22
14:22
Michael Shuval
BBC Arabic

Ambulances parked on a street in Beit Shemesh, Israel
Image source,MDA
The death toll from a missile strike on Beit Shemesh in Israel has been revised to eight, a Zaka rescue services spokesman told the BBC.

Nearly two dozen others are suffering from injuries of different severity following the strike on the Israeli city west of Jerusalem.