The US Embassy in Riyadh has come under attack
US president Donald Trump said the US could take ‘far longer’ than its projected four-to-five-week time frame for its military operations against Iran
Government ministers to be updated on latest advice for Irish citizens in the Middle East
More cancelled flights from Dublin to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha
A Defence Forces spokesperson has said Irish troops on UNIFIL duty in South Lebanon are all well and accounted for
Minister of State with responsibility for International Development & Diaspora, Neale Richmond, has said that the Government was looking at all the options on the table to repatriate Irish citizens from the Gulf region.
The advice for Irish citizens was to stay in touch with airlines and not to go to airports. Helplines were in operation by the Irish embassy in Abu Dhabi which coordinated all operations for the Irish in the region.
Israel’s military has ordered evacuations across southern Lebanon and parts of Beirut as it steps up strikes on Hezbollah targets.
At least 50 people are reported to have been killed in strikes on Lebanon so far.
The IDF said it is carrying out simultaneous operations in both Beirut and Tehran.
Defence Forces spokesperson, Commandant Alex Quigley, has said that the Irish troops on UNIFIL duty in South Lebanon are “all well and accounted for.”
Speaking on RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland, Comdt. Quigley said operations were ongoing and protection measures were in place to mitigate against the volatility of the region and the current “heightened intensity.”
Millions of families in the Middle East are in danger of renewed harm, trauma or even death.
That is according to World Vision Ireland, which said it is deeply concerned about the intensifying escalations across the region.
The charity is calling on all waring parties to cease hostilities and work towards a lasting peace.
The first wave of morning flights from Dublin to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha have been cancelled again today.
The DAA’s Graeme McQueen said airlines cannot make decisions until the airspace in the Middle East reopens.
He said uncertainty continues about what will happen in the days ahead.
The cost of diesel and petrol could reach up to 70 cent extra a litre, due to the ongoing violence in Iran.
That is according to a leading economist, Charlie Weston, who is also warning the price of oil and gas here will also increase sharply.
The Government is also warning the development could cause a shock to supply lines with the potential increases.
Government ministers will be updated today on the latest advice for Irish citizens currently in the Middle East.
Around 22,000 Irish people are registered as being in the region with local embassies.
The update at Cabinet from Foreign Affairs Minister Helen McEntee comes as the US issues new advice for its citizens to leave the Middle East in light of the operations against Iran.
More blasts have been reported overnight in Tehran, and Lebanon’s capital Beirut.
The US administration is also conceding ground troops may yet be sent in to Iran.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s been defending why they launched air strikes with Israel targeting the regime on Saturday morning.
The US Embassy in Riyadh came under attack as US president Donald Trump said the US could take “far longer” than its projected four-to-five-week time frame for its military operations against Iran.
The US and Israel have continued to pound Iran since killing its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday, while Tehran and its allies have hit back against Israel, neighbouring Gulf states and targets critical to the world’s production of oil and natural gas.
Explosions rang out throughout the night in Tehran with witnesses describing hearing aircraft overhead. In Lebanon, Israel launched more strikes on Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia group.
The Israel Defence Forces said on X on Tuesday that they were “conducting simultaneous targeted strikes against military targets in Tehran and Beirut”.
Saudi Arabia’s Defence Ministry said early on Tuesday that the embassy in Riyadh came under attack from two drones, which caused a “limited fire” and minor damage.
The embassy confirmed it had come under attack and urged Americans to avoid the building, posting on X: “Avoid the Embassy until further notice due to an attack on the facility.”