The Embassy of the Kingdom of Tonga in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates has issued an urgent travel advisory calling on all Tongan citizens currently in the Middle East to leave the region immediately.
The announcement came days after Dubai, a major city in the United Arab Emirates, came under renewed scrutiny amid Iranian drone attacks following the U.S.–Israeli killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, earlier this week.
As Kaniva News reported earlier, shockwaves from missile strikes rattled windows in a home near Abu Dhabi’s Corniche, the area surrounding Etihad Towers where the Tongan embassy is located.
The advisory was released under the embassy’s official letterhead, which lists its location at Etihad Towers on Corniche Road in Abu Dhabi.
No further explanation was provided regarding the nature of the threat or the circumstances prompting the urgent call for Tongans to exit the region.
The notice, labelled Travel Advisory No. 3 and dated Wednesday, 04 March 2026, advises Tongans to make arrangements to depart on the earliest available international flight. The advisory states:
“We strongly advise herewith to make arrangements and leave the Middle East on the earliest available international flight.”
It was the second notice, following an earlier advisory that asked Tongans in the Middle East to register with the embassy.
U.S. Strikes Cripple Iran’s Missile Capabilities
Meanwhile, regional tensions continue to escalate, with the United States announcing a sharp decline in Iran’s offensive capabilities following the launch of Operation Epic Fury.
Operation Epic Fury remains sharply focused on dismantling Iran’s offensive missile capabilities, officials said, noting that U.S. B‑2 stealth bombers armed with 2,000‑pound munitions struck hardened ballistic‑missile sites in Iran during overnight raids.
Trump has explicitly stated that a primary goal is ensuring Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon.
According to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, Iranian ballistic‑missile activity has dropped 86% since the first day of fighting, including a further 23% decline in the past 24 hours.
Caine told reporters at the Pentagon that Iran’s one‑way attack drone launches have also fallen by 73%.
He said the sustained U.S. strikes have enabled CENTCOM to gain localised air superiority along the southern flank of the Iranian coast, allowing American forces to penetrate Iranian defences “with overwhelming precision and firepower.”
Tehran Surveillance Hack Revealed
Separately, intelligence activity in Iran has also drawn global attention following revelations that long‑compromised traffic‑camera systems across Tehran have been feeding real‑time data into an Israeli intelligence network.
According to an Israeli official, the hacked cameras—originally part of the city’s civilian surveillance grid—allowed Israel to build a detailed map of movement patterns inside the Iranian capital.
The visual feeds formed just one layer of a far broader data‑fusion program described by a source familiar with the system as an AI‑driven “target production machine.” Into this system flowed streams of visual intelligence, intercepted communications, signals data, satellite imagery, and human reporting.
The result, the source said, was the rapid generation of highly precise 14‑digit grid coordinates, enabling Israeli planners to identify and prioritize targets with unprecedented speed and accuracy.
The advisory was released under the embassy’s official letterhead, which lists its location at Etihad Towers on Corniche Road in Abu Dhabi. No further explanation was provided regarding the nature of the threat or the circumstances prompting the urgent call for Tongans to exit the region.
Tongan authorities have not yet issued a public statement beyond the written advisory, and it remains unclear how many Tongan citizens are currently in the Middle East or what specific risks they may be facing.
This is the third formal advisory issued by the embassy, indicating heightened concern for the safety of Tongan nationals in the area. Citizens are expected to contact the embassy or relevant authorities for assistance with travel arrangements if required.
