When missiles started flying over the sky in Dubai, Hofit Golan, an influencer living in the city, was left in disbelief.
“We are not used to having missiles intercepted above your head,” the Israeli-Canadian told BBC News. “I saw missiles being intercepted and smoke on the Palm [building].”
Part of the booming influencer scene in the city, Golan is one of a number who have expressed shock and fear as Iranian drone and missile attacks have been fired towards the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over the past three days, in response to US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
While most of the Iranian attacks appear to have been intercepted so far, some of the UAE’s most iconic buildings have been damaged – including the Fairmont The Palm hotel in the luxurious Palm Jumeirah area and the Burj Al Arab hotel.
Dubai International Airport has also been hit, along with Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport – where one person was reported killed.
For years, Dubai has cultivated a reputation as a glamorous and attractive destination for expats pursuing business opportunities and travel.
It’s also been a safe haven for residents in an unstable wider region.
Posting on social media over the weekend, former Love Island contestant Arabella Chi, who is based in Dubai, described the attacks on the UAE as “a very scary time”.
British model and influencer Petra Ecclestone said: “We came to Dubai to feel safe, and we finally felt like we were settling in, and now this has happened.”
Former England footballer Rio Ferdinand, speaking on his football show, Rio Ferdinand Presents, said: “It’s frightening when you hear missiles, planes and fighter jets – I don’t know what it is – going above us, and you’re hearing big bombs, and what that is we don’t know as we don’t know the details of what they are.”
He added, however, that he’s felt “very secure and looked after”.
Many influencers have been posting praise for the government online and saying that there is no need to feel unsafe.
Criticism of the government is illegal in the UAE.
But the attacks on the city have left some experts questioning whether Dubai will be able to bounce back and retain its status as a safe hub.
Yasser Elsheshtawy, professor of architecture at Columbia University, said the perception of Dubai as an “ideal model as a contemporary and progressive city” was now being “punctured and shattered”.
“Because when you begin to see plumes of smoke rising in the city and sounds of explosion in some of the most exclusive places… [it] shatters that image of Dubai as this haven of security and safety,” he told the BBC.
The academic, who lived in Dubai for 20 years, added that even if the damage is not huge, buildings such as the Fairmont hotel are symbols of “a spectacular city where wealthy people can safely invest their money and so on”.
“It will suffer for years to come,” he added.
Karen Young, senior research scholar at the Center on Global Energy Policy, also at Columbia University, said Iran’s decision to target civilian, and in particular tourist sites, was unprecedented.
“I think for many people it just seemed impossible that the tourist infrastructure would ever be targeted in such a way, so it’s kind of pierced the facade of safety,” said Young, who previously lived in Dubai for six years.
However Hofit Golan, who describes herself as a TV personality and entrepreneur, doesn’t think Dubai’s image will change much.
“Money is flowing in and this showed Dubai’s air defences are strong,” she said.
She said she went to the mall on Monday, which she said was “a bit subdued” but busy.
She added that people have still been out swimming in the sea and on the beaches since the attacks on the island she lives on.
Another Dubai resident, Afsha Farooqui, said that despite the situation, she did not feel unsafe in the city.
“I feel safe in Dubai despite what is going on. It’s natural to feel concern but day to day, schools are open, and families are out,” she said.
“We don’t live in fear,” the 34-year-old food blogger, who is originally from India, said.
Will Bailey, who only arrived in Dubai on Saturday, hours before strikes hit the emirate, said the UAE was doing “a good job of intercepting the missiles” and “keeping the public informed, up to date with what’s happening”.
However, the fitness influencer from the UK added that his plan to relocate his coaching business to Dubai and secure residency was now uncertain following the strikes.
“Since this happened, everything changed,” Bailey told BBC Arabic. “Now we are in the middle of all of this chaos that is going on.”
“I am not sure what the plans are; I don’t know if I will stay here or I will go back to the UK. I just don’t know,” he said.
“All we can do at the moment is stay undercover, wait it out, and see what happens”.
