Coming soon: Clear US customs at Dubai International

January 28, 2014

Dubai, Jan 28: Emirates passengers could be next in line to avail of the American pre-clearance customs procedures in the UAE following the opening of a post in Abu Dhabi last week.

Passengers began using the region’s first United States pre-clearance customs checkpoint at Abu Dhabi International on January 24. The post, manned by US customs officials, enables passengers to skip long queues on arrival in the US by clearing them for immigration prior to departing from Abu Dhabi.

“Dubai International is well-positioned to be the next port of call for US pre-clearance with three airlines, Emirates, United and Delta, soon operating services to a total of nine destinations in the United States,” an Emirates spokesperson told Gulf News in an e-mail.

A Dubai Airports spokesperson echoed that view in a separate statement.

The Abu Dhabi pre-clearance post is expected to alleviate congestion at key US airports by cutting passenger immigration processing time prior to their arrival.

Opposition

However, John Strickland, director at UK-based aviation advisory JLS Consulting, told Gulf News that the pre-clearance posts have been met with opposition by US carriers who claim it gives foreign airlines an unfair advantage.

Etihad is the only airline currently flying direct between the US and Abu Dhabi. It flies to New York, Washington DC and Chicago, and later this year will begin services to Los Angeles and Dallas.

An Etihad spokesperson told Gulf News in an e-mail that passengers travelling to Washington DC are being processed through the new immigration pre-clearance facility. Passengers on other US-bound Etihad flights are expected to be processed through the new facility in the coming days.

“Etihad Airways is pleased to support this initiative between the Governments of Abu Dhabi and the US, which will benefit air travellers who can fly from Abu Dhabi and arrive in the US as domestic passengers,” the spokesperson said.

Other locations

According to the US Customs and Border Protection website, pre-clearance checkpoints are available in 15 other locations in Ireland, the Caribbean and Canada. It states that key objectives of the checkpoints is to prevent security threats, intercept inadmissible persons and goods, protect US agriculture, facilitate entry of legitimate trade and travellers, reduce congestion at US gateway airports and foster cooperation with foreign authorities.

The Abu Dhabi government is reportedly funding 85 per cent of the costs to host the checkpoint, including salaries of US officials.

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Syrian Town erupts after Israeli forces enter Beit Jinn; heavy casualties reported

News Network

November 28,2025

Several Syrians were killed and more than two dozen others injured in Israeli strikes on the outskirts of Damascus, amid intensified incursions by the occupying regime since the fall of former president Bashar al-Assad and the rise of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rule.

Syrian state TV reported that the casualties occurred during an overnight Israeli assault involving helicopters and drones on the town of Beit Jinn in the Damascus countryside. The attack followed an Israeli military unit’s entry into the town, where they were surrounded by local residents, leading to gunfire and direct confrontations.

According to the report, “The occupation army’s helicopters and artillery shelled Beit Jinn, located at the foothills of Mount Hermon, resulting in 13 martyrs and 25 injured civilians.” The broadcaster did not specify the full extent of damage.

Al-Ikhbariyah Syria confirmed that the shelling coincided with Israeli soldiers entering Beit Jinn, while artillery pounded surrounding areas. The broadcaster stated that the escalation began after local residents clashed with an Israeli patrol that had infiltrated the southern town and “kidnapped” three young men.

Following a two-hour exchange of heavy fire, Israeli forces withdrew and repositioned on the hill of Butt al-Warda at the town’s outskirts.

Israeli media acknowledged that six soldiers were wounded in the clashes—three of them seriously—describing the confrontation as a “sudden ambush” that forced the deployment of reserve units and air support to secure an exit route. No further details were provided.

The aggression has fueled renewed displacement from Beit Jinn, with residents fleeing to nearby villages amid increasingly frequent Israeli attacks.

The raid came just a day after Israeli troops carried out another ground incursion into Umm al-Luqas village in Quneitra province. According to SANA, an Israeli unit in four vehicles entered the village, raided several homes, and later withdrew.

Syria condemned the repeated incursions as violations of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and UN resolutions, urging the international community to enforce compliance and pressure Israel to halt its operations and withdraw fully.

Israel has expanded its attacks across Syrian territory following the collapse of the Assad government last year. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly instructed his forces to push deeper into Syrian territory and seize strategic positions.

Meanwhile, critics say the HTS-led interim government’s inaction and growing normalization gestures toward Israel have emboldened Tel Aviv to intensify its military operations. HTS, formerly linked to al-Qaeda, seized control of Damascus last December, formally ending Assad’s rule.

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