The aviation authority had briefly closed the country’s airspace as regional security risks escalated, after the defence ministry said it was responding to incoming aerial threats from Iran.

The suspension of air traffic was described by officials as a precautionary step amid rapidly evolving developments in the region. No timeline was provided for the duration of the closure, but operations were restored within hours once the situation stabilised.

Authorities did not disclose details on the scale or origin of the threats beyond confirming missile and drone activity, nor did they indicate any damage or casualties linked to the incident.

The General Civil Aviation Authority said the measures were implemented to ensure the safety of airspace users and aligned with standard protocols during security contingencies.

The reopening signals that risk levels were assessed to have subsided sufficiently for normal operations to resume.

The UAE is a major global aviation hub, and even brief airspace closures can affect regional and international flight schedules, though no specific disruptions were detailed in the official statements.

The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East, where cross-border threats involving drones and missiles have increasingly prompted rapid defensive responses and precautionary restrictions on civilian infrastructure, including aviation corridors.

Officials have not issued further advisories following the resumption of air traffic.

The attack marked the first Israeli strike to hit the heart of Beirut since hostilities between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group resumed last week, widening the regional confrontation linked to the broader U.S.-Israel war with Iran.Israel’s military said the strike targeted key commanders belonging to the Lebanon Corps of Iran’s elite Quds Force, a unit within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), although it did not identify the individuals it believed were present at the site.“The commanders of the Quds Force’s Lebanon Corps operated to advance terror attacks against the state of Israel and its civilians, while operating simultaneously for the IRGC in Iran,” the Israeli military said in a statement.

Strike hits central Beirut building.The strike struck an apartment within the Ramada hotel complex located in central Beirut, an area that had not been targeted since fighting resumed between Israel and Hezbollah.The building was housing displaced civilians who had fled fighting in southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs, areas that have experienced repeated Israeli air strikes during the past week.Following the attack, witnesses said people were seen leaving the hotel amid concerns that additional strikes could follow.There was no immediate confirmation from Lebanese authorities regarding the identities of those killed or whether the victims included the Iranian commanders Israel said it had targeted.

Israel said the operation was aimed at disrupting activities by Iran’s Quds Force in Lebanon. The Quds Force oversees Iran’s foreign military operations and maintains close ties with allied groups across the region, including Hezbollah.The Israeli military has intensified strikes against Iranian-linked targets as the regional conflict expands.Last week, Israel said it had killed Daoud Ali Zadeh, the commander of Iran’s Quds Force in Lebanon, during a strike in Tehran. Israel said he had been involved in coordinating military activities linked to Iranian operations in the region.Lebanon drawn deeper into conflictLebanon has increasingly been pulled into the escalating confrontation between Israel and Iran.The latest phase of hostilities intensified on Monday when Hezbollah fired rockets and drones into Israel, according to Israeli officials. Hezbollah is backed by Iran and has been one of Tehran’s key regional allies.Israel responded with a wave of strikes across southern and eastern Lebanon, as well as locations near Beirut.The fighting has raised concerns about a broader regional escalation as the U.S.-Israel campaign against Iranian targets continues and allied armed groups across the Middle East become increasingly involved.The strike in central Beirut underscores the expanding geographic scope of the conflict and the growing risk that urban centres beyond traditional front lines could become targets as the confrontation deepens.