DUBAI/LONDON — Airlines suspended flights across the Middle East on Saturday, including to and from the world’s busiest travel hub Dubai, after the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran, plunging the region into a renewed military confrontation. Flight maps showed airspace over Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Israel and Bahrain virtually empty as Israel said it struck Iran and the U.S. military initiated a series of strikes against targets in the country. Iran retaliated with a salvo of missiles. Witnesses told Reuters about explosions across the Gulf, including in Qatar’s Doha, which hosts the biggest U.S. military base in the Middle East, as well as Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates — key global transport hubs. The closure of Gulf megahubs chokes the busiest east-west transit point, leaving few parts of the planet untouched by disruption. “You have crews, planes and passengers stranded all over the world. It’s a massive logistical nightmare,” a Gulf airline source said. Dubai Airports said all flights at Dubai International, which handled nearly 100 million passengers
US, Israel defend strikes at UN as Iran alleges ‘war crime’
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