Explosions have been heard across Doha, Dubai and Abu Dhabi as Iran presses into a fourth day of attacks against its Gulf neighbours in response to US-Israeli strikes.
Sirens were sounded across the major cities of the United Arab Emirates and Qatar after residents reported hearing loud bangs.
Authorities in Dubai said the explosions reverberating across the city were caused by ‘interception operations’ by air defence forces.
‘The relevant Dubai teams continue to closely monitor the situation and are taking all necessary measures to ensure public safety,’ a statement released on Tuesday read.
Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are two of the Gulf countries which have been struck by Iranian missiles since the death of the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday.
Thousands of Brits remain trapped in the Middle East amid the chaos as locals and holidaymakers scramble to book flights to safety.
Many told of ‘terrifying ordeals’ when Iran began retaliatory strikes on tourist and expat hotspots.
The first British evacuation flight from the UAE touched down at Heathrow Airport on Monday evening, with relieved passengers spotted hugging their loved ones in arrival halls.
Today, Emirates and Etihad Airways are operating just five UK-bound flights from the Middle East compared to the dozens they usually run every day. The three scheduled to land at Heathrow from Dubai and Abu Dhabi are all currently delayed.
Emirates will run two flights to Heathrow and one each to Gatwick and Manchester. Etihad Airways has scheduled one flight from Abu Dhabi to London.
Meanwhile, British Airways and Qatar Airways have cancelled all of their timetabled flights between the Middle East and the UK as airspaces remain closed.
British tourists caught up in scenes of disarray at Dubai Airport have spoken of their nightmare experiences trying to get home as the city comes under fire from an Iranian drone attack.
Jessica Tennant, 30, from Lincoln, who has been on a two-week holiday to the UAE with her young children, said: ‘It has been incredibly stressful.
‘We have heard absolutely nothing (from the Government or airlines). We have had no updates. We are checking the news hourly because we have not been told anything.
‘We flew with Emirates and we’ve had no contact at all. We are due to fly on Thursday but we have no idea if that is going ahead.’
Grandmother Mina Pattni, 62 and her family were staying at the Fairmont Hotel on the Palm Jumeirah, which was hit by either a drone or debris, starting a fire.
‘It was absolutely terrifying,’ said Mina, from Leicester. ‘We were just sitting down to eat on Saturday night when we heard some interceptions of drones or missiles in the air.
‘That was scary enough, but just as we ordered, there was this terrific bang and we could see that the side of the building had been hit and everyone was evacuated until the fire was extinguished.’
Mina was travelling with her husband Latash, 67, and their daughter and son in law and two grandsons Krish, two and 5-month-old Rohin.
‘The children were very frightened,’ said Mina. ‘They picked up the slightly panicky mood from the other guests, though the hotel staff were very good and still managed to serve cold food, even though the gas in the hotel had to be turned off.
‘With our flight home on Sunday cancelled, we decided to stay with a relative in Dubai, mainly so that the children would be in a calmer atmosphere.’
Like several other Brits congregated outside Terminal 3 at DXB this morning, the Pattnis hoped to make it on an Emirates flight to Heathrow, or possibly a later one to Gatwick.
Travellers were corralled outside the busy Emirates terminal waiting to be called forward for their flights, heading mostly for Russia and the Indian sub-continent, but with a few headed for the UK and Europe.
Many of the people laden down with luggage in the throng were critical of poor communications from the airline, but said they couldn’t fault the hotels where they had to extend their stays.
Father and son James, 18 and Jim Dixon, 61, from Leicester, were due to fly back to the UK from Dubai on Saturday afternoon, and after checking in, they were held at the airport for five hours before being moved to a hotel to begin the long wait.
It came after the five-star Fairmont Hotel on the luxurious island of Palm Jumeirah was set ablaze by an Iranian drone, leaving four people injured. The Burj Khalifa – the world’s tallest building – was later evacuated amid fears it could become a target.
Tourists hid in basements and car parks while missiles flew over the city, which is home to nearly a quarter of a million Brits abroad.
Later, an Australian Defence Force base in Dubai was hit by an Iranian missile, though no injuries were reported.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has insisted that Britain will remain involved only in a defensive capacity, in a bid to defend Brits stranded abroad.
It was a decision for which he was lambasted by President Donald Trump on Tuesday, who described the PM as ‘uncooperative’ in a speech at the White House.
Starmer has allowed US forces to operate from British RAF bases abroad – but only to defend – showing what Trump has perceived to be a lack of support.
In an apparent reference to Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands, the US President said: ‘That island… It’s taken three, four days for us to work out where we can land there.
‘It would have been much more convenient landing there as opposed to flying many extra hours, so we are very surprised.’
Referring to Britain’s war-time PM, a bust of whom sits in the Oval Office, Mr Trump added: ‘This is not Winston Churchill that we’re dealing with.’
The US President went on to criticise the UK’s approach to the ‘stupid island’ as he issued a fresh blast at Sir Keir’s bid to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
‘This is not the age of Churchill. I will say the UK has been very, very uncooperative with that stupid island that they have, that they gave away and took a 100-year lease,’ he told reporters in the Oval Office, as he sat alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
‘Having to do with, perhaps, indigenous people claiming the island that never even saw the island before. What’s that all about? They ruin relationships, it’s a shame.’
