New Delhi, March 17 -- Explosions sounded over Dubai early Tuesday as the United Arab Emirates' military worked to intercept incoming Iranian fire that caused the country to briefly close its airspace as Israel launched new strikes in war in the Middle East.

The Israeli military said early Tuesday it had begun a "wide-scale wave of strikes" across Iran's capital and was also stepping up strikes on Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. It announced the new strikes as Israel reported two incoming salvos from Iran.

Fears of a global energy crisis loomed even as a small number of ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which a fifth of the world's oil normally travels.

Iranian strikes on commercial ships i...