The regional war showed no signs of slowing down over the weekend, as US President Donald Trump’s suggestions of the war being almost over were swiftly followed by renewed attacks from both sides. Most notably, Israel attacked the South Pars gas field, Iran’s primary energy resource, and Iranian strikes took out 17% of Qatar’s LNG export capacity. To top it off, Trump threatened on Saturday night to target Iranian power plants if it doesn’t fully open the Strait of Hormuz in 48 hours.

Iran responded with a threat of its own: “If ⁠Iran’s fuel and energy infrastructure is attacked by the enemy, all energy infrastructure, as well as information technology...and water desalination facilities, belonging to the US and the regime in the region will be targeted pursuant to previous warnings,” Iranian military spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaqari said, according to state media.

Energy and IT infrastructure have already been targeted multiple times so far during this war, with strikes on the Amazon Web Services data centers in Bahrain and Dubai leading to a widespread outage hitting dozens of regional firms, and energy facilities in Abu Dhabi suffering several hits so far.

How vital are water desalination facilities to the region? They produce 100% of the water consumed in Bahrain and Qatar, 80% of drinking water needs in the UAE, and 50% of supply needs in Saudi Arabia, Reuters reports.

A coalition of more than 20 countries has condemned Iran over attacks on commercial vessels and what it described as the “de facto closure” of the Strait.

Strikes kept defense systems working over the Eid break

The interceptions continued: UAE air defenses intercepted four ballistic missiles and 25 UAVs in a single day yesterday, bringing totals since the start of the conflict to 345 missiles and more than 1.7k drones.

And energy infrastructure was in the crosshairs

Iranian strikes targeted key Emirati energy infrastructure over the weekend, launching attacks on the Habshan gas facility and Bab field, both intercepted without injuries, as attacks on Adnoc-linked assets continue, according to a Foreign Affairs Ministry statement. Authorities have called it a “dangerous escalation.”

The interceptions prompted shutdowns of the complex, which is one of the largest gas processing plants in the world, with 6.1 bn cubic feet daily capacity.

The framing is shifting: Industry and Advanced Technology Minister and Adnoc head Sultan Al Jaber put it bluntly on LinkedIn, saying energy infrastructure “should never be a target.” He described the attacks as “global economic warfare,” warning that energy flows are being weaponized.

Air travel feeling the strain as airport targeted

The skies are still open, but less predictable. Abu Dhabi has seen a string of delays and cancellations, while Dubai is holding steadier for now with lighter disruptions, The National reports.

But the system is getting more sensitive: Temporary airspace closures and early-morning alerts show how quickly operations can shift, even if normality resumes within hours. Airlines are already adapting — Emirates is running a reduced schedule and offering flexibility, while global carriers including British Airways, Lufthansa, Air France, Singapore Airlines are scaling back Dubai routes.

Airlines are even having to grapple with damage to aircraft: Two aircraft parked at Dubai International Airport had reportedly been damaged earlier on in the conflict by Iranian strikes, the Wall Street Journal reports.

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