Am I entitled to reimbursement by Etihad?

I’m sure many other people are in the same boat as me right now.

I’m looking to get reimbursed. My flight is from Dublin to Asia. If my flight gets cancelled by Etihad due to airspace closure because of war, and I ask them to re route me or re book me with their partner airline and they refuse. So I go ahead and book tickets with another airline at a higher price.

I know due to extraordinary circumstances, I’m not eligible for 600 euro compensation, I’m not looking for that. But Etihad cannot deny the duty of care to re book me with their partner airline or another airline.

Since my flight is departing from Dublin, I am protected by EU Regulation 261/2004. While "extraordinary circumstances" (like war or airspace closure) exempt them from the €600 compensation, it does not exempt them from their obligation to get me to my destination.

Is Etihad responsible to pay me the difference in price of the tickets? Are they liable to the cost of the new ticket?

If I’m entitled to reimbursement, and Etihad still refuses to pay the difference, what can I do next ?

Any advice would be highly appreciated!