Adrian Portelli said he was more concerned about his son getting pasta sauce on the furniture than he was about missile threats in Dubai.

Australian billionaire entrepreneur Adrian Portelli has spoken out about his safety from a war-torn Middle East.

Portelli is with his family in Dubai, where Iranian missiles struck an international airport and luxury hotel on Sunday amid an escalating conflict following the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in a US missile strike.

Portelli told his social media followers he not only was “totally fine” but he feels more safe in the United Arab Emirates than in Melbourne.

 

“Dubai is still Dubai … dinner plans remain intact,” Portelli said in a since-expired Instagram story.

“Even though UAE is quite literally in the middle of the war, it still feels safer than Melbourne.”

He later posted a picture of his son eating pasta, alongside text reading: “Everyone’s worried about missiles, I’m more concerned how I’m going to get this red sauce off all the furniture.”

Portelli remains in Dubai weeks after he welcomed the birth of his second child, Ayla Grace.

Many expats in Dubai are sharing the same light-hearted style of commentary about the conflict, with social media posts of poolside images and luxury lifestyles largely uninterrupted by military threats.

But not all Australians in the region are feeling as comfortable.

About 115,000 Australians are currently in the Middle East as conflict in the region continues to escalate, and the airspace remains closed.

Tehran has attacked several Arab countries which host US military bases, including Jordan, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar.

Olympic swimmer Stephanie Rice is another high-profile Australian who now lives in Dubai.

She shared a statement from the Australian Embassy in the UAE confirming the strikes, alongside her own text calling for prayers of protection.

“Please help me in praying for all my friends, loved ones and people in the UAE that they would be protected and feel a tangible sense of God peace in this scary situation,” Rice said in a since-expired Instagram story.

Rice, who is now a committed Christian and married to pastor and father-of-three Mark Lassey, announced the cancellation of in-person church services on Sunday, and urged her community to stay home and meet online instead in line with current safety advice.

Authorities say there is a risk of further escalation, reprisal attacks and civil unrest.