Two flights cancelled at Birmingham Airport as Iran attacks its Gulf neighbours after the killing of one of its top leaders

New attacks by Iran were reported in multiple Gulf countries early this morning, including on Saudi Arabia’s vast Eastern Province, which is home to many of its oil fields, as well as Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

Iran is lashing out after the killing of one of its top leaders, Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, in an airstrike by Israel.

Iran's Republican Guard said on Wednesday that it had targeted central Israel with multiple-warhead missiles, which have an increased chance of evading missile defence systems and can overwhelm radar tracking systems.

Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said a projectile caused a small fire at its base in the UAE near Dubai but caused no injuries.

Missile alerts sounded again later in Dubai as the sound of interceptors exploding overhead boomed across the city-state.

The Dubai Media Office posted on X this morning: "The competent authorities in Dubai confirm that the sounds heard in some areas of the emirate are the result of successful aerial interceptions, while also emphasizing the importance of obtaining information from reliable official sources."

Due to the ongoing conflict, flights continue to be disrupted at Birmingham Airport. Today, a flight to and from Dubai is cancelled.

The 20:50 Emirates flight to Dubai has been axed, as well as the 18:45 flight from the Gulf nation.

Two Dubai flights are still due to operate today - the 13:40 Emirates flight to Dubai and a flight arriving at Birmingham at 11:40am.

Passengers are still advised to check with their airlines for the latest updates regarding their flights.

The UAE authorities temporarily closed the country's airspace yesterday (March 17), as an exceptional precautionary measure aimed at ensuring the safety of flights and air crews due to incoming threats from Iran.

Residents of Dubai and Doha in Qatar, awoke to the sound of explosions as air defences worked to intercept new waves of incoming Iranian fire.

The Authority stated that the decision was taken to close the airspace following a comprehensive assessment of security and operational risks, and in full coordination with relevant national and international authorities.

The airspace was then re-opened and flights began to operate as normal - but there were knock-on effects.

Four flights were cancelled at Birmingham Airport yesterday and two Dubai flights were heavily delayed.