Terrified tourists were seen clutching their designer handbags as they ran for shelter during five days of missile strikes that have rocked Dubai.
British content creator Mia Plainer said people were ‘literally grabbing their Hermes and Chanel bags’ as hotels evacuated hundreds of guests into basements while Iranian missiles streaked across the sky.
‘We just saw loads and loads of smoke and missiles,’ she said, recalling how guests were rushed underground at around 2am as explosions lit up the city.
‘There were just hundreds and hundreds of people – families, kids – and people were literally like grabbing their Hermes and Chanel bags and taking them with them.’
Dubai has been hit by a wave of retaliatory strikes from Iran after the United States and Israel launched attacks on the regime earlier this week, shattering the emirate’s carefully cultivated image as a safe haven in the Middle East.
The attacks have left tourists, residents and the city’s army of influencers scrambling for shelter as missiles and drones targeted sites across the UAE over the past five days.
Yet even as tourists ran for shelter, some of the celebrities and influencers who have relocated to Dubai insisted the chaos was already fading into the background, with several praising the UAE authorities for their response.
Terrified tourists were seen clutching their designer handbags as they ran for shelter during five days of missile strikes that have rocked Dubai
British content creator Mia Plainer said people were ‘literally grabbing their Hermes and Chanel bags’ as hotels evacuated hundreds of guests into basements while Iranian missiles streaked across the sky
Social media influencer and WAG Taylor Ward told her three million Instagram followers the missile strikes and drone attacks that have rocked the region for days were now ‘in the past’.
Posting a series of Instagram stories from the city on Wednesday morning, the 28-year-old apologised for her ‘radio silence’ before telling fans she believed life would quickly return to normal.
‘I think by now everybody has seen on the news and everywhere else what has been going on in Dubai so I won’t bore you all with going over all that again,’ she said as she applied her morning skin care.
‘For those who are here that is obviously super scary and it is not a nice situation to be in at all. I am pretty confident that is all in the past now, and we will move on with our lives so onwards and upwards.’
Ward added that the attacks had actually restored her faith in the authorities, praising the UAE government for keeping residents safe despite the strikes.
Reality TV star Vicky Pattison, heiress Petra Ecclestone, and influencer Luisa Zissman were among those reassuring followers that Dubai remained safe despite the attacks.
Zissman told fans she was ‘constantly checking the skies’ for missiles while walking her dog with her young daughter, after previously revealing she had taken shelter in her basement when ‘massive explosions’ were heard over the weekend.
Pattison, meanwhile, insisted reports that Dubai was being ‘bombed’ were exaggerated, saying authorities had advised that air defences were intercepting incoming missiles ‘competently and efficiently’.
‘Ultimately we are in one of the safest countries in the world, in a five-star hotel,’ she told fans.
Social media influencer and WAG Taylor Ward has insisted the missile strikes and suicide drones which have rocked the Middle East for five days ‘are in the past now’
Petra Ecclestone, who moved to the city last year from the U.S, has been keeping her followers in the loop and this morning said that she was ‘feeling grateful’
Reality TV star Vicky Pattison (pictured) and influencer Luisa Zissman were among those reassuring followers that Dubai remained safe despite the attacks
No one disputes that the United Arab Emirates has mounted an effective defence against swarms of Iranian missiles and drones.
But critics say it has also fought an aggressive information battle, aided by an army of international influencers praising Dubai as one of the safest places on earth.
The Daily Mail understands that behind the reassuring posts lies a harsher reality, with strict laws meaning those who publish content deemed harmful to the UAE’s reputation can face heavy fines, prison sentences or deportation.
The government has even cracked down on those reposting genuine footage of the first of the attacks on Saturday, which included drones or debris causing damage at the five-star Fairmont Hotel on the Palm Jumeirah and the iconic sail-shaped Dubai hotel Burj Al Arab in flames.
The Dubai Media Office announced within a few hours of the first strikes that ‘outdated images of past fire incidents’ in Dubai were being spread to stoke fear among the city’s residents and thereby garner clicks.
‘Legal action will be taken against those who publish or republish such content in violation of UAE law,’ the post read.
One influencer, insisting on anonymity, told the Daily Mail: ‘Influencers are terrified of speaking out against the Dubai government.
‘They believe it’s a huge risk to voice their fears or reveal what’s really happening and are worried they could be deported or lose their homes.
‘British citizens can be deported, lose their jobs, or even face arrest for stepping out of line.
‘Influencers and celebrities in particular have been instructed to present a rose-tinted image of Dubai on social media, acting as though everything is normal. They’ve been strictly warned not to scaremonger on platforms with massive followings.
‘The government wants the impression that life is continuing as usual – and any suggestion otherwise is treated as a serious offence.’
Another visitor told the Daily Mail that she wondered ‘how much we’re not being told about the frequent bangs in the distance which never get media coverage in the last few days’.
She added that when she was about to take a photo of a cratered pavement damaged by a drone or debris, a more seasoned Dubai resident stopped her, warning her darkly: ‘You don’t want to rock the boat.’
Former Manchester United star Rio Ferdinand has also spoken about the fear of hearing missiles and explosions around his Dubai home as the attacks intensified.
The tension has left many residents and tourists on edge across Dubai, with even routine sounds sparking panic after days of missile strikes
The football pundit, 47, said he and his family were advised to shelter in the basement after Iranian missiles and drones struck across the UAE.
‘It’s frightening when you hear missiles, planes and fighter jets going above us and you’re hearing big bombs and what that is we don’t know,’ he said on his podcast.
Ferdinand added that the family spent nights sleeping in the basement with duvets after being advised to head underground when the first explosions were heard.
‘It’s about trying to stay calm for the kids and help them navigate through it,’ he said.
The tension has left many residents and tourists on edge across Dubai, with even routine sounds sparking panic after days of missile strikes.
In one video circulating on social media, diners at a hotel restaurant can be seen suddenly jumping up from their tables and running for cover after a loud boom echoed through the area.
Several tourists appeared to believe the blast was another missile strike as they hurried away from the restaurant.
But the noise was later revealed to be a Ramadan cannon marking the start of Iftar, the sunset meal when Muslims break their fast.
The traditional cannon is fired daily during the holy month, but the sound triggered alarm among some visitors as the city remained on heightened alert following the Iranian attacks.
