Suzanne Baum and
Sarah Ping
Published March 1, 2026 7:20pm
Updated March 1, 2026 7:35pm
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Rachel Corney is in Dubai with her three children amid the airstrikes and missile attacks from Iran (Picture: Rachel Corney)
Brits living in Dubai express feelings of terror and ‘unspeakable fear’ amid missile and drone strikes from Iran.
Billowing smoke and tower blocks on fire are just some of the sights British people living and visiting Dubai have seen this weekend.
Others recall the huge booms of explosions as they shelter in hotels and apartments to find safety and refuge amid the airstrikes.
Several countries in the Middle East have been hit with Iranian airstrikes after the country vowed to step up its retaliation for the killing of its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Britons in Dubai have shared their ‘unspeakable fear’ at the sights of billowing smoke and loud booms as Iran attacks parts of the Middle East (Picture: AP)
A UK-born mother, who moved to Israel in 2012, has described her fear and panic at being caught up in the Dubai attacks from Iran.
Rachel Corney, 47, who is currently in Dubai with her three teenagers, told the Metro: ‘I have been in an utter state of panic and terror as there has been billowing smoke above our heads and huge booms in the sky.’
In a cruel twist of fate, the family, who arrived in Dubai on Wednesday, had left Israel for a holiday after living through the war in their country, only to find themselves racing for cover in their hotel.
‘We are used to bombs in Israel and everyone said Dubai was such a safe place, but I can’t believe this has happened to us,’ Rachel, from London, said.
Rachel Corney and her three children, who do not want to be named, recall the ‘unspeakable fear’ they felt in Dubai amid the airstrikes from Iran (Picture: Rachel Corney)
Rachel is currently staying at the W Hotel where she saw flames and smoke while sitting by the pool.
She said: ‘During the day we had booms when we were sitting by the pool, the first one was around lunch time and a few people got a fright, but no one said anything.
‘An hour later there was another huge one at which point the pool staff asked everyone to go inside.
‘We saw the flames above our heads that looked like a mushroom of smoke from the interception.’
Satellite images of thick black plumes of smoke in Dubai show the extent of the missile and drone attacks on parts of the United Arab Emirates (Picture: AFP/Planet Labs PBC)
The family received a phone alert at around 1am, prompting them to seek refuge away from windows and within the hotel’s basement car park, where several others followed them to safety.
‘A lot of guests came in, some crying, some calm, a lot of young kids. No one said anything at all,’ she said.
The mother-of-three compared the bombing in Dubai with her experiences of living through conflict in Israel.
‘Even though we are used to the sound of bombs in Israel, we normally have warnings and bomb shelters, but here there has been nothing of the sort,’ she explained.
‘Up until yesterday, we had had a wonderful few days, having an amazing time here. Then it turned into unspeakable fear.’
Footage shows the moment a drone hits a tower block of luxury apartments in Dubai (Picture: X)
Flights from the UK to the Middle East have been cancelled, while the UK Foreign Office have warned Britons in Dubai to ‘immediately shelter in place’ amid the airstrikes.
Some Britons have shared their concerns on social media, with one life coach from the UK, who now lives with her husband and young child in Dubai, explaining the moment she saw her neighbours evacuated from their apartments.
‘A drone has hit the apartment block next to ours, and residents are being evacuated,’ Harriet Aldridge wrote on Facebook.
‘We’ve been sent video footage and it’s gut wrenching and obviously our hearts go out to the families directly affected.’
Passengers wait at London Heathrow Airport after flights to the Middle East were cancelled (Picture: AFP)
She added that she went to her friend’s house to seek safety, but said seeing her neighbours evacuating the building and ‘hearing more explosions has just put us on high alert’.
One man had a lucky escape after an Iranian drone crashed through his apartment.
The drone burst through his window airstrike at his luxury tower block in Town Square.
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Previous Page Next PageThe British man filmed the aftermath of the drone hitting the luxury apartment with shattered glass and broken furniture scattered on the floor.
His footage has been shared on social media, with one user on X describing the video as ‘absolutely insane’.
‘No joking guys, we have just been hit by a drone,’ the British man filming the video said.
‘We heard it coming. It stinks of oil in here. I didn’t even finish my cup of tea.’
Journalist Isabel Oakshott, who moved to Dubai with her partner Reform MP, spoke of the resilience of the people.
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Richard Tice, posted on X: ‘Here is the spirit of Dubai in one act. My daughter has a severely disabled teacher who gives her extra lessons at weekends.
‘He’s wheelchair bound. Today we expected him to cancel. Yet he’s taking a special vehicle across town to get to her.’
‘That’s how we are.’
Israel and four Gulf Arab countries with US military bases, including Dubai, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi and Iraq, have been targeted by Iranian missiles and drones.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].
For more stories like this, check our news page.
Arrow MORE: US say strikes ‘cut the head off the snake’ but Iran vows revenge for Khamenei kill
Arrow MORE: Nine killed in Israel explosion after Iran vows to strikes back
Arrow MORE: Iran will be ‘waking up sleeper agents across West’, says former Israeli general
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