Thunder over Dubai

A Jamaican man who awoke to the sound of “thunder-like” explosions in Dubai on Sunday, following a United States (US)-Israeli attack on Iran and its retaliation, says much of what is happening in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is not being televised.

Twenty-five-year-old Van Creed, who is pursuing a music career in the city, said loud explosions from missile strikes and interceptions rocked Dubai, causing panic among nationals and foreigners.

Creed said the atmosphere in the city, known as the global hub of luxury and innovation, grew tense on Saturday after the massive joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran which killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and sparked chaos in the Middle East as retaliatory fire grounded flights and unsettled nerves.

The musician said he had made plans to visit a place called Marina on the coast of Dubai but was stopped in his tracks when missile fire intensified.

“In the night, we started to hear some loud sounds, explosions, but they sounded like thunder. When I checked the news here, there was nothing,” he told The Gleaner on Monday.

Creed, who has lived in Dubai for a year and a half, said real news and events are suppressed because of UAE rules and a need to maintain its image.

Social media posts are heavily monitored, and unconfirmed news posted online carries a fine.

“This is how over here works, and so a lot of people are covering up what they are seeing. Things that I experience are not being shown [on] the media and to the outside world. You can be fined if you are putting up things that they have not verified. I guess they want to protect their reputation, and also don’t want to cause a panic,” he said.

The UAE’s high-tech defence systems have intercepted the vast majority of incoming fire, but the city suffered direct hits and damage from falling debris following Iran’s retaliatory strikes on predominantly US-military bases in the country.

A drone or missile strike caused a significant explosion and fire at the Fairmont The Palm hotel on Palm Jumeirah, while Dubai International Airport sustained damage to a terminal, and falling shrapnel from interceptions caused a fire at the iconic Burj Al Arab.

The UAE Ministry of Defense confirmed that three people have been killed and dozens more injured across the country since the attacks began on Saturday.

Creed, who lives in an apartment in the south of Dubai and approximately 25 minutes from the famous Burj Khalifa, said he and neighbours continued to hear interceptions “miles in the sky” for much of Sunday.

“I was awoken by two loud explosions 8 a.m. Sunday. My neighbours didn’t sleep. They were down in the basement. That’s how scared people were, but I have faith in God, so I didn’t go that far,” he said.

He said the explosions were intermittent and then occurred every hour or two.

“There was smoke, like 1,000 to 2,000 metres away from me, where the debris from the interception in the sky fell. That happened in a community and that is not shown on the news. So you can just imagine the amount of things that are happening that are not shown on the news; because I am witnessing that, but I don’t see it being circulated on the news,” he said.

He added that the situation is unlike anything he ever experienced in Jamaica.

“We’re used to gunshots. We’re not used to thunderous explosions, and so this is a new experience for me, knowing than anything can happen at any time. I’m not terrified easily. I have a lot of faith in God, but it does not change the fact that it’s an unpredictable, scary atmosphere,” he said.

He said the explosions continued into Monday, but noted that they were fewer than on Saturday and Sunday.

Schools and universities have been told to transition to mandatory distance learning until Wednesday, while the private sector has been urged to adopt remote work even as the government halted stock market trading and advised businesses to pause non-essential physical operations amid the ongoing regional threat.

Creed said the roads in the city have been “scanty” and delivery systems which residents have become dependent on have shut down operations.

“This has definitely paused a lot of business, everything. But things at the moment seem to have calmed down, although this is just my area and Dubai is big. People are still messaging in WhatsApp groups that they are hearing explosions and in the other Emirates, like Ras Al Khaimah, and some people in Abu Dhabi,” he said.

kimone.francis@gleanerjm.com