As the skies above them were filled with the roar of screaming fighter jets on the lookout for wave after wave of Iranian drones and missiles, tourists and expats in Dubai settled down on the beach.
Across the clear blue waters of the Gulf lies the coast of Iran, barely 100 miles away, and even nearer from some parts of the UAE.
But those hundreds of people at Jumeirah Beach, in the shadow of the spectacular Burj Al Arab ‘sail’ hotel – which was hit in the aerial assault at the weekend – said they felt safe, despite the war engulfing the country.
The fact that the US Consulate, only a few seconds’ flight away from flying ordnance, was also filmed in flames last night after being hit by either a drone, missile, or burning debris, proved no obstacle to the sun-seekers either.
As the UAE government continues to insist that the situation is under control, backed up by an army of influencers, Dubai as a whole began to relax guidance, urging its citizens and visitors to remain inside and seek shelter.
In hotels, open-air pools were reopening, beach clubs were welcoming guests back to lounge under cabanas and sip champagne, and a very limited service of flights from the world’s busiest international airport, DXB, was beginning to resume.
To complete the somewhat barmy dissonant picture, in the huge Mall of the Emirates, Dubai’s huge indoor ski slope in the desert was also proving popular with families zooming down the artificial snow, while the mercury outside soared past 34C.
The Dubai government, which depends almost solely on tourism to keep its economy going, has kept the message pumping that the Emirate, along with the rest of the UAE, is safe, even though a fair number of Iranian drones have beaten the aerial defences, killing three people and injuring more than 60.
Jumeirah public beach in Dubai this morning as residents and holiday makers carry on their daily lives although the city is under attack
As the skies above them were filled with the roar of screaming fighter jets on the lookout for wave after wave of Iranian drones and missiles, tourists and expats in Dubai settled down on the beach
Hundreds of people at Jumeirah Beach, in the shadow of the spectacular Burj Al Arab ‘sail’ hotel – which was hit in the aerial assault at the weekend – said they felt safe, despite the war engulfing the country
The fact that the US Consulate only a few seconds flight away for flying ordnance was also filmed in flames last night after being hit by either a drone, missile or burning debris, proved no obstacle to the sunseekers
Residents and tourists insist they ‘feel safe’ despite the recent drone attacks
As the UAE government continues to insist that the situation is under control, backed up by an army of influencers, Dubai as a whole began to relax guidance urging its citizens and visitors to remain inside and seek shelter
Beachgoers go for a swim at Jumeirah public beach
A man surfs a wave on Jumeirah’s public beach this morning
Although the frequency of the attacks and interceptions seems to have tailed off from the initial blitz on Saturday and Sunday, they have not ceased entirely.
But on Jumeirah Beach, as surfers body-boarded their way to shore, no one seemed to think they were in any danger.
Aptly-named South African Dune Barker, 34, who has lived in Dubai for 12 years, said he felt ‘super confident’ that the UAE air defences could handle everything Iran was throwing at them.
‘The first night was very scary,’ said Dune, who works in management at the huge water park at Atlantis Resort on the Palm Jumeirah.
‘But we soon realised that the missiles and drones were nearly all being intercepted. My own country is nowhere near as safe as the UAE, and that’s why I’m here enjoying the beach on my day off.’
Spanish tourist Jorge Prieto, 49, and his son, Lucas, 13, should have been flying back home to France today, but instead they will have to wait until the weekend.
‘We do feel safe here,’ said Jorge, or I wouldn’t bring my wife and children to the beach. We’re following the advice from the UAE government and so far it’s worked out fine.
Spanish tourist Jorge Prieto (left), 49 and his son Lucas, 13, should have been flying back to their home in France today, but instead they will have to wait for the weekend
Tourists and residents relax on the sand, continuing with daily life despite the conflict
Pawel and Nataly, a couple from Latvia in their twenties, only ventured outside for the first time yesterday, as they were worried about the missiles and drones
But as surfers made their their way to shore, no one appeared to think they were in any danger
Another surfer catches a wave on the Dubai beach this morning
‘My wife is Belgian, and we’ve tried to contact the Spanish, French and Belgian embassies for advice and help, and couldn’t get any of them to answer, so we’re relying on the Emiratis instead.’
Fellow Spaniard Luca Chiappinelli, 24, is about to move to Dubai for good, where he will start a car export business, but he said the Iranian air strikes hadn’t put him off.
‘They are obviously geared up for something like this in a way that European governments are not,’ he said. ‘I have no hesitation at all in coming out here to the beach – nobody wants to sit inside all day.’
Pawel and Nataly, a couple from Latvia in their twenties, only ventured outside for the first time yesterday as they were worried about the missiles and drones.
‘We were frightened on the first day,’ said Nataly. ‘We were actually on the Dubai Eye when the first strikes came in on Saturday and I didn’t know what it was at first, and wondered if it was fireworks.
‘When we got down and heard the news, it was really scary. But as the days have gone by, while we’ve seen and heard a lot of the attacks and the way they’ve been intercepted, we got more confident.’
Pawel added: ‘The Latvian government has told us that our extra days in the hotel will be paid for by the Dubai government, so I guess we’re here for a few more days extra holiday than we expected.’
