Four people were wounded Saturday night in an explosion at Dubai International Airport, reportedly caused by an Iranian drone strike. Dubai Airports confirmed that an “incident” occurred at the airport that resulted in injuries.
Meanwhile, dozens of Israelis who traveled to Dubai for vacation found themselves amid a missile and drone barrage, part of Iran’s response to the launch of a joint Israeli and U.S. campaign that is reportedly aimed at American bases in the Middle East.
Strike at Dubai airport
Footage of moment Iranian drone strikes Dubai
The United Arab Emirates said that during the first 24 hours of Operation Roaring Lion against Iran, launched by Israel and the United States, it intercepted 137 missiles and 209 drones. Unlike in Israel, there are no sirens or protected spaces in Dubai. Many of the Israelis there say they are fearful and are waiting for the state to arrange their return home. Others are still hoping to reach Dubai.
With Israeli airspace closed, flights en route to and from the country were diverted to alternative destinations. One Flydubai flight was redirected to Al-Ahsa in Saudi Arabia and landed there after it was not granted permission to land in Dubai. About 50 passengers, most of them Israelis, were held on the plane for hours and were later transferred to a terminal hall. Israel is in contact with Saudi authorities and the airline, and they are expected to be transported by car to Dubai.
Among those stranded in the Emirati city is Tzlil Tal, 31, who traveled to Dubai with her mother for a five-day vacation. “We arrived in Dubai on Friday on a flight from Israel,” she told ynet. “When we landed, there was already talk about a possible strike, and in the morning we woke up to chaos. In the past few hours everything has been overhead. We can see all the missiles here. There are constant interceptions, and missiles have fallen about two kilometers from us.”
Tal said she is staying at a hotel with dozens of other Israelis. “Everyone here is anxious. We’re on the 61st floor and we don’t dare go up to the room. We asked to be moved to a lower floor but that’s not possible right now. The streets are empty and there’s a sense of fear. We were at a mall and a saleswoman almost fainted from the explosions, and I, the Israeli, calmed her down. We returned to the hotel and we’re not leaving. There are no sirens, no protected spaces. It’s frightening.”
“If I had known there would be an attack, I wouldn’t have flown, certainly not to Dubai,” she added. “A taxi driver gave us a speech saying Netanyahu is Trump’s puppet and that everything happening here is just drills. They live here in a bubble.”
She said the state should take responsibility and ensure their return to Israel. “I expected that if the state knew this would happen on Saturday, it would issue a travel warning for Dubai. The skies here are closed. There are Israelis who had connecting flights to Thailand and are stuck with us at the hotel. No one from Israel has contacted us or is looking after us. I understand we made a mistake, but the state needs to find a way to bring us home.”