Former England star Jonny Bairstow appeals to Sir Keir Starmer for help after being stranded in Middle East amid Iran drones and missiles

Jonny Bairstow has appealed for help from Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who is stranded in the Middle East while on holiday amid an ongoing offensive in the region.

US and Israeli forces attacked Iran on Saturday morning in what the two countries described as a “pre-emptive” strike against the government of Tehran, which intends to develop nuclear weapons.

The attack prompted Iranian retaliation, with missiles reportedly targeting Israel and countries in the Middle East.

On Sunday morning, Bairstow took to social media seeking updates on the potential homecoming.

Bairstow appealed for help from Sir Keir Starmer and the British Embassy in the United Arab Emirates on Instagram on Sunday morning.

‘If anyone has information about Dubai, please contact us. ‘Stay safe,’ he wrote.

He then went on to echo these sentiments, also tagging Sir Keir Starmer and the British Embassy in the United Arab Emirates.

‘If anyone has information about Dubai please get in touch… Stay safe… @britishembassyuae @keirstarmer,’ he wrote.

On Saturday night, the England Lions canceled their planned second 50-over match against the Pakistan Shaheens in Abu Dhabi due to security concerns.

The England and Wales Cricket Board announced on Saturday evening that, following official Government advice, the scheduled game at Zayed Cricket Stadium will no longer take place and travel arrangements for England Women’s trip to Abu Dhabi next week have also been postponed.

The ECB’s statement on Saturday regarding the cancellation of Sunday’s match included the following statements: ‘The safety and security of our teams and staff is our top priority.

‘We are in contact with security experts and the government regarding current events in the Middle East and are following official advice.

‘Tomorrow’s second 50-over match between England Men’s Lions and Pakistan Shaheens in Abu Dhabi will no longer go ahead and we are postponing the departure of the England Women’s team for their planned trip to Abu Dhabi next week.

‘We will continue to monitor and evaluate the situation and official advice regarding the future of these trips.

‘England Men will travel to Mumbai for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup semi-final as planned.’

Smoke rises from Dubai International Airport on Sunday morning amid ongoing crisis

Following the news of the explosion, the British Foreign Office called on British citizens in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE to immediately shelter in place.

As of Sunday morning, global air travel remains severely disrupted as ongoing air strikes have left major Middle Eastern airports, including Dubai, the world’s busiest international hub, closed in one of the sharpest aviation shocks in recent years.

Major transit airports, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the UAE and Doha in Qatar, were closed or severely restricted as much of the region’s airspace remained closed after the US and Israel killed Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday.

While Israel announced that it launched a new wave of attacks against Iran on Sunday, loud explosions were heard near Dubai and over Doha for the second day after Iran launched retaliatory air strikes on neighboring Gulf countries.

While Dubai International Airport was damaged in Iran’s attacks, airports in Abu Dhabi and Kuwait were also hit. According to data from flight tracking platform FlightAware, thousands of flights were affected in the Middle East.

Flightradar24’s maps appeared early Sunday; Airspace over Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Israel, Bahrain, UAE and Qatar remained almost empty.

A new ‘Notice to Airmen’ (NOTAM) extension of the closure of Iranian airspace until at least 8.30am on Tuesday morning, March 3, the flight tracking service said.