Brits living in Dubai express feelings of terror and ‘unspeakable fear’ amid missile and drone strikes from Iran.
Billowing smoke and tower blocks on fire are only a few of the sights British people living and visiting Dubai have seen this weekend.
Others recall the large booms of explosions as they shelter in hotels and apartments to seek out safety and refuge amid the airstrikes.
Several countries within the Middle East have been hit with Iranian airstrikes after the country vowed to step up its retaliation for the killing of its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
A UK-born mother, who moved to Israel in 2012, has described her fear and panic at being caught up within the Dubai attacks from Iran.
Rachel Corney, 47, who’s currently in Dubai together with her three teenagers, told the Metro: ‘I even have been in an utter state of panic and terror as there was billowing smoke above our heads and big booms within the sky.’
In a cruel accident, the family, who arrived in Dubai on Wednesday, had left Israel for a vacation after living through the war of their country, only to seek out themselves racing for canopy of their hotel.
‘We’re used to bombs in Israel and everybody said Dubai was such a protected place, but I can’t consider this has happened to us,’ Rachel, from London, said.
Rachel is currently staying on the W Hotel where she saw flames and smoke while sitting by the pool.
She said: ‘Throughout the day we had booms after we were sitting by the pool, the primary one was around lunch time and just a few people got a fright, but nobody said anything.
‘An hour later there was one other huge one at which point the pool staff asked everyone to go inside.
‘We saw the flames above our heads that looked like a mushroom of smoke from the interception.’
The family received a phone alert at around 1am, prompting them to hunt refuge away from windows and inside the hotel’s basement automobile park, where several others followed them to safety.
‘A whole lot of guests got here in, some crying, some calm, a number of young kids. Nobody said anything in any respect,’ she said.
The mother-of-three compared the bombing in Dubai together with her experiences of living through conflict in Israel.
‘Despite the fact that we’re used to the sound of bombs in Israel, we normally have warnings and bomb shelters, but here there was nothing of the kind,’ she explained.
‘Up until yesterday, we had had a beautiful few days, having a tremendous time here. Then it became unspeakable fear.’
Flights from the UK to the Middle East have been cancelled, while the UK Foreign Office have warned Britons in Dubai to ‘immediately shelter in place’ amid the airstrikes.
Some Britons have shared their concerns on social media, with one life coach from the UK, who now lives together with her husband and young child in Dubai, explaining the moment she saw her neighbours evacuated from their apartments.
‘A drone has hit the apartment block next to ours, and residents are being evacuated,’ Harriet Aldridge wrote on Facebook.
‘We’ve been sent video footage and it’s gut wrenching and clearly our hearts exit to the families directly affected.’
She added that she went to her friend’s house to hunt safety, but said seeing her neighbours evacuating the constructing and ‘hearing more explosions has just put us on high alert’.
One man had a lucky escape after an Iranian drone crashed through his apartment.
The drone burst through his window airstrike at his luxury tower block in Town Square.
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The British man filmed the aftermath of the drone hitting the posh apartment with shattered glass and broken furniture scattered on the ground.
His footage has been shared on social media, with one user on X describing the video as ‘absolutely insane’.
‘No joking guys, we’ve just been hit by a drone,’ the British man filming the video said.
‘We heard it coming. It stinks of oil in here. I didn’t even finish my cup of tea.’
Journalist Isabel Oakshott, who moved to Dubai together with her partner Reform MP, spoke of the resilience of the people.
Richard Tice, posted on X: ‘Here is the spirit of Dubai in a single act. My daughter has a severely disabled teacher who gives her extra lessons at weekends.
‘He’s wheelchair sure. Today we expected him to cancel. Yet he’s taking a special vehicle across town to get to her.’
‘That’s how we’re.’
Israel and 4 Gulf Arab countries with US military bases, including Dubai, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi and Iraq, have been targeted by Iranian missiles and drones.
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