Country by Country, Here’s How the Unfolding War Is Affecting the Middle East
JERUSALEM: The war developing in the Middle East has spread to the region; Almost every country suffers from missile hits or shrapnel, many casualties are reported, and important embassies, economic engines and gateways are closed.
With Gulf airspace largely closed, cruise ships unable to pass through the Strait of Hormuz and major airlines canceling their flights, foreign governments are urging their citizens to depart by any commercial flight available. The US State Department said it was evacuating non-emergency personnel and families from six countries and added the United Arab Emirates to the list on Tuesday. Additionally, citizens of 14 countries were advised to leave the country. Governments from Russia to Germany and France also scrambled to operate repatriation flights.
Here’s a country-by-country breakdown of the impact of the war so far:
All airspace information is from real-time flight tracking service Flightradar 24 or national authorities as of Tuesday.
Iran Damage and losses: Iran has the highest death rate reported to date among countries in the region. The Iranian Red Crescent said the US-Israeli operation killed at least 787 people. That number includes more than 160 killed in an attack on a primary school in Minab, the state-run IRNA news agency said. Israel says it was not involved. Answering reporters’ questions on the subject, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that he did not have detailed information, but that the United States would not deliberately target a school.
US-Israeli strikes targeted nuclear infrastructure, missile launchers, government buildings and leadership compounds in Tehran, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other senior military officials. Satellite images of Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility taken on Monday show additional damage to the facility complex as well as multiple damaged buildings compared to images from the previous day.
Airspace: Closed.
Israel and Palestinian territories Damage and losses: Iranian missiles hit many places, killing 11 people. The extent of damage to Israeli military bases and other sensitive areas is unknown; The military does not disclose this information.
Airspace: Closed to commercial flights.
Lebanon Damage and losses: Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah fired a missile at Israel on Monday, prompting Israel to retaliate. Lebanese officials said at least 52 people were killed and 154 injured.
Israel hit Beirut with more airstrikes early Tuesday, saying it targeted “Hezbollah command centers and weapons storage facilities” and sending ground troops to southern Lebanon’s border areas. Hezbollah also said it launched drones targeting an Israeli air base. The Israeli army announced that it shot down two unmanned aerial vehicles.
Israel and Hezbollah fought for more than a year, ending with a ceasefire in November 2024 that greatly weakened the militant group.
The U.S. Embassy in Lebanon said Tuesday that it is closed to the public until further notice.
Airspace: Lebanon’s airspace is not completely closed. Flights come and go but many airlines have canceled flights.
Saudi Arabia Damage and losses: Iran struck the US Embassy in the Saudi Arabian capital early Tuesday. An attack by two drones on the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh caused a “limited fire” and minor damage, according to the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Defense, and the embassy urged Americans to stay away from the compound.
A military spokesman told the state-run Saudi Press Agency that Saudi Arabia’s Ras Tanura oil refinery was also attacked by drones but its defense systems shot down the aircraft. The refinery has a capacity of over half a million barrels of crude oil per day.
Airspace: Partially closed in the region bordering Iraq and the Persian Gulf.
Kuwait Damage and losses: The US Embassy building in Kuwait was hit on Monday. On Tuesday, it announced it would be closed to the public until further notice.
Six US soldiers in a logistics unit were killed in an attack in Kuwait, according to a US official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Kuwait’s Ministry of Health said on Sunday that one person was killed and 32 people were injured in the Iranian attack, all of them migrant workers from unnamed countries.
Airspace: Closed
United Arab Emirates Damage and losses: Three people, foreign workers from Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan, were killed in the UAE. The city of Dubai, which has a global reputation as the safest place in the Middle East and a global investment hub, suffered damage to its international airport and hotels along its coastline, according to CENTCOM. Iran also targeted two Amazon data centers in the UAE, the company said on Tuesday.
Airspace: Closed to commercial flights. Some evacuation flights began Monday.
Egypt Damage and losses: The ripple effects of the war have hit Egypt’s struggling economy as global shipping firms decided to divert their shipping fleets from the Suez Canal. The canal, which connects the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, constitutes an important source of foreign currency for the cash-strapped country.
Airspace: Commercial flights leave the country, but there are cancellations and most advise residents to travel via Taba and Sharm el-Sheikh instead of Cairo.
Jordan Damage and casualties: Jordanian police announced Sunday that five people were injured by falling shrapnel after Iranian shells were intercepted in the kingdom’s airspace.
Airspace: Jordan’s Civil Aviation Authority said its airspace will be closed from 18:00 to 07:00 every day until further notice.
Qatar Damage and losses: Iran hit energy facilities in Qatar.
Airspace: Closed.
Iraq Damage and losses: Militia members have been killed in US or Israeli attacks on Iranian proxy sites. There were numerous drone and missile attacks on US bases and consulate in Erbil, and protesters attempted to attack the US Embassy in Baghdad.
Iraq’s Ministry of Oil said on Tuesday that it would halt production at a major oil field due to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, which would cause crude oil prices to rise worldwide. The ministry noted the shortage of tankers entering the Gulf, forcing them to “stop production and pumping” from the southern Rumaila fields near the city of Basra.
Airspace: Closed.
Bahrain Damage and losses: Bahrain’s Ministry of Internal Affairs said one Asian worker was killed and two others were seriously injured in a fire that broke out during a strike early Monday morning. There was also a drone crash near the Amazon data center, the company said on Tuesday.
Airspace: Closed.
Syria Damage and losses: Syrian state news agency SANA said that many people, including children, were slightly injured by Iranian missile debris in rural areas outside Damascus. SANA said that remnants of missiles falling from missiles fired by Iran against Israel were seen in some areas in the southern provinces of Syria, and that no additional injuries or material damage were reported.
Airspace: Closed.
Oman Damage and losses: Oman has been attacked by drones many times since the start of the Iran war. The attacks targeted the country’s largest port of Salalah as well as the port of Duqm. At least one ship was also hit off the country’s coast.
Airspace: Open, but many commercial flights have been cancelled.
