The Middle East has been in conflict for over two weeks since the United States and Israel carried out joint strikes on key Iranian targets and Iran responded, plunging the region into war, sending shock waves across global oil supplies and disrupting air travel.

Ensure our latest news headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings.

The BBC has reported that the UAE’s aviation authority temporarily closed the country’s airspace as “an exceptional precautionary measure.”

Live air traffic reporter FlightRadar24 showed an eerily empty airspace over the UAE early on Tuesday, March 17.

On Monday, the Middle East’s biggest airline Emirates cancelled some flights after a drone struck an oil tank and caused a fire near Dubai International Airport.