The yen and euro were lower on Tuesday as the widening Middle East conflict focused attention on countries dependent on energy imports.

Travelers stranded by a widening war have started leaving the United Arab Emirates aboard a small number of evacuation flights.

Middle East airspace closures have created a visible gap in global flight paths, forcing long-haul reroutes, increasing fuel costs and disruption, with potential knock-on effects for schedules and fares worldwide.

By Helen Reid and Dominique Patton PARIS, March 2 (Reuters) - In Dubai and other major Middle Eastern shopping hubs, many stores are closed or operating with a skeleton staff as the escalating conflict in the region causes chaos for businesses and travel.

Hundreds of thousands of stranded travelers are scrambling to make new connections and get through to airlines on jammed phone lines and online portals after the attack on Iran by the United States and Israel shut down much of the Middle East to air travel.

The document also mentions a second data center in the region that had a fire due to"indirect impact."

The war over Iran engulfed more of the Middle East and beyond on Monday as strikes intensified, Iran-backed groups stepped up attacks and a fourth U.S. service member was killed in action.

Thousands of passengers have been left stranded on cruise ships in the Middle East amid ongoing military actions in the region. A total of six cruise ships across four different companies are believed to have been impacted by the conflict,