{"id":452213,"date":"2026-03-01T16:09:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-01T16:09:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/452213\/"},"modified":"2026-03-01T16:09:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-01T16:09:09","slug":"we-thought-it-was-fireworks-dubais-luxury-seekers-shaken-by-iranian-missiles-dubai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/452213\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018We thought it was fireworks\u2019: Dubai\u2019s luxury seekers shaken by Iranian missiles | Dubai"},"content":{"rendered":"

The weekend began as it often does in Dubai<\/a>. By late morning on Saturday, the beach clubs on Palm Jumeirah were already at capacity. Along the waterfront promenade, running clubs gathered beneath the towers, filming their warmups before setting off in neat formation.<\/p>\n

On Instagram, the city appeared untouched: blue skies, a flat sea and the steady churn of shoppers inside the Dubai Mall. Across the Gulf, however, the largest regional war since the 2003 invasion of Iraq was intensifying.<\/p>\n

While US and Israeli missiles were being launched and airspace was being closed across parts of the Middle East, Dubai carried on with its carefully maintained normality.<\/p>\n

A public beach in Dubai was left unusually empty after emergency alerts across the weekend. Photograph: Altaf Qadri\/AP<\/p>\n

For years, the city has presented itself as a sanctuary for capital and stability, a place of order and predictability in a volatile region, insulated from the political storms that shape its neighbours. That illusion held until sunset.<\/p>\n

Shortly after dusk, the first Iranian drones and missiles approached the Gulf states. Air defences in the United Arab Emirates<\/a>, as well as in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, activated in response, interceptors streaking into the night sky.<\/p>\n

Map of Iran\u2019s retaliatory strikes<\/a><\/p>\n

Several tourists said they were caught completely off guard. There were no air raid sirens and while residents with local phone numbers began receiving official alerts, others did not immediately understand what was happening.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt first we thought it was fireworks,\u201d said Natalia Veremeenko, who was staying near the Fairmont The Palm, a five-star resort whose entrance caught fire after what appeared to be a drone strike.<\/p>\n

Veremeenko initially believed the fire was a one-off incident and within minutes the streets began to fill again. \u201cThey cleaned everything up quickly,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Firefighters and rescue workers inspect damage at the Fairmont The Palm Hotel in Dubai. Photograph: Altaf Qadri\/AP<\/p>\n

Crowds were seen gathering as usual around the fountains outside the Dubai Mall for the nightly light and water show. But the holiday mood did not hold.<\/p>\n

Later in the evening, fires and thick plumes of smoke were reported at Dubai\u2019s and Abu Dhabi\u2019s airports after drone debris struck the sites, killing one person and injuring about a dozen others, according to local authorities. Two further deaths were announced on Sunday.<\/p>\n

Dense columns of smoke on Saturday rose from the Jebel Ali port area in Dubai, the world\u2019s ninth busiest port and the busiest in the Middle East, where one berth caught fire. The sail-shaped Burj Al Arab, widely regarded as Dubai\u2019s most recognisable landmark, was struck by falling drone debris, prompting a brief fire.<\/p>\n

Dubai\u2019s Jebel Ali port was struck by debris from an Iranian intercepted missile. Photograph: EPA<\/p>\n

It remains unclear whether Iran was directly targeting hotels and other UAE landmarks \u2013 major revenue earners for the emirates \u2013 rather than the US military facilities it had vowed to strike.<\/p>\n

But for the UAE, the attacks marked a rare rupture in the business-friendly reputation Gulf states have spent years cultivating. The overwhelming majority of Dubai\u2019s residents are foreign nationals, drawn by the city\u2019s promise of safety and low taxes.<\/p>\n

\"WhyWhy the US and Israel are bombing Iran \u2013 video<\/p>\n

By nightfall, many luxury hotels were ushering guests from exposed rooms and terraces into underground car parks and service corridors. The scenes resembled images more commonly associated with cities in Ukraine, though here the response carried a distinctly Dubai gloss.<\/p>\n

\u201cA state of emergency, but make it fashion,\u201d wrote one Russian lifestyle blogger, posting a photograph of herself in silk pyjamas from a hotel basement.<\/p>\n

Yekaterina, a Russian resident in Dubai, said she first felt panic when she received a midnight message on her phone telling her to seek shelter at her tower block. In the car park, rumours began circulating that the Burj Khalifa, the world\u2019s tallest building, had been hit \u2013 claims that later proved false but which captured the uncertain mood of the night.<\/p>\n

By morning, authorities had moved quickly to calm nerves, reassuring residents and visitors that the situation was under control and pledging flight reimbursements for those affected by the disruption.<\/p>\n

Passengers have been left stranded by the closure of Dubai international airport. Photograph: Altaf Qadri\/AP<\/p>\n

The UAE defence ministry said 137 missiles and 209 drones had been fired towards UAE territory and the majority had been intercepted by its air defence systems.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can return to normal now. The UAE is 100% safe. Life and business continue as normal,\u201d Amjad Taha, an Emirati commentator, wrote on X<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Western influencers based in Dubai, some of whom say they relocated to escape what they describe as crime-ridden European cities and high taxes, were quick to echo the message.<\/p>\n

\u201cGreetings from a very relaxing dog walk in the best and safest city in the world,\u201d Joule Sullivan, an Australian living in Dubai, told<\/a> his half a million Instagram followers. \u201cSorry haters. Dubai is still the best city in the world,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

But with Iran showing no sign of de-escalating and thousands of cheap drones believed to remain in its arsenal, that confidence may yet be tested. Airports remain closed, leaving tens of thousands of tourists stranded<\/a> with no clear timeline for when flights will resume.<\/p>\n

On Sunday morning, tourists started to receive messages from the authorities urging them to stay indoors and await instructions. Some said they remained undeterred, continuing with their daily business.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am still planning to go to the Dubai Mall to shop today,\u201d Veremeenko said. \u201cI hope this will all blow over soon.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The weekend began as it often does in Dubai. By late morning on Saturday, the beach clubs on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":452214,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[49,50,51,47,52,48],"class_list":["post-452213","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/452213","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=452213"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/452213\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/452214"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=452213"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=452213"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=452213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}