Dubai is the year-round-summer city where anyone can enjoy the lap of luxury. But in the space of 24 hours, it has been turned into a warzone with tourists and residents unable to flee

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Fairmont The Palm hotel in Dubai was targeted(Image: INSTAGRAM)

Saturdays in Dubai usually are a time for sun, shopping and brunches – not bombs and missiles.

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But as the mercury hit 28C yesterday afternoon, the Emirates city – named 2025’s ‘second safest in the world’ – was transformed into a zone of terror as drones hit the heart of its luxurious infrastructure. Influencers were left fleeing for their lives while tourists were crammed into underground carparks and residents were placed on lockdown.

While bombing targets are usually places of military significance, Iran appears to have torn up the rule book and instead aimed for social hotspots that would have been packed with regular people. The 5-star Fairmont The Palm hotel on Dubai’s man-made and eye-wateringly expensive Palm island was hit, injuring four people. Dubai airport and Jebel Ali Port were also pummelled while fire also broke out at the landmark Burj Al Arab after a drone was intercepted.

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A suspected projectile falls over Dubai(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

The city, as a whole, is a playground for white collar workers who have emigrated en masse from the UK seeking better pay and sunnier climes. The likes of teachers, recruiters, PR workers, project managers and big pharma employees all benefit from tax-free earnings of up to £6,500 a month while living in the lap of luxury. From marble-clad malls packed with top designer stores to glitzy marinas and afternoons spent sipping cocktails on yachts, it’s a champagne lifestyle that most can achieve.

Added to that, the city is famously safe and their laws are infamously strict. Alcohol laws are strict in the mainly Muslim area. It can only be consumed by non-Muslims in licensed venues (hotels, restaurants, bars) and private homes. People must dress modestly in public spaces, covering their shoulders, and there is a zero-tolerance stance on drug possession. Last year it was named the second safest city in the world by Numero, topped only by nearby Abu Dhabi.

So the last thing residents and tourists would have been expecting yesterday was for missiles to start ringing overhead as plumes of acrid, black smoke billowed into the sky.

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Dubai is known for its luxurious lifestyle(Image: Nikada)

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British influencer Will Bailey shared images from The Fairmont, and one tourist told how they were enjoying a cocktail in the sun on The Palm when the bomb hit. Not realising what it was, they carried on drinking. But it soon became all too clear how serious the danger was.

A British man teaching in Dubai, who wishes to remain anonymous, told how a regular Saturday suddenly transformed into scenes of panic and chaos. And as day turned into night, the missiles became chilling ‘bangs’ believed to be caused by interceptors breaking the sound barrier above their heads.

“It all went crazy yesterday with missiles flying over the community, and we were told to seek shelter,” he tells The Mirror. “Then, as nighttime hit, so did a few large bangs. Apparently, they are missile interceptors breaking the sound barrier above our heads. We are about 5km from a military base that has anti-missile tech. No US military, though, so pretty safe.”

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People look at smoke rising from the port of Jebel Ali in Dubai(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

As their new reality set in, mobile phones across the city rang out with terrifying warnings. Frightened for their lives, many spent the night lying awake while sleeping children were cocooned in the safest part of their houses.

“There were a few hairy moments in the night with warnings and sirens on our phones guiding us to seek shelter and move away from windows, and then followed with some noisy explosions. It woke me up; my partner hasn’t slept all night, and we had our kids sleeping downstairs.

“We thought it was all over this morning, but there have been lots more missiles and smoke above us. We hadn’t heard anything for a few hours, then there were more happenings this afternoon.”

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British influencer Will Bailey showed the smoke from the Fairmont hotel in Dubai(Image: PICTURE TAKEN FROM TIKTOK)

With the city now on lockdown, he tells how there has been a Covid-style response with residents rushing to stock up on supplies. Flights across the Middle East have been grounded, and schools closed.

“It’s like Covid, we’ve stocked up on milk and toilet rolls. Airports are closed, and a few hotels have been hit by drones and debris. Schools are all remote learning until Thursday, so we’re all indoors waiting it out.”

Iran unleashed its weaponry after an early-morning attack by the US and Israel that killed its despotic leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran vowed swift vengeance and is also believed to have targeted areas with US military bases, including Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE.

Dubai has no official US military base, but Jebel Ali Port is said to be the US Navy’s entry to the Middle East and has American aircraft carriers and other naval vessels passing through.