Residents in Dubai have reportedly received alerts on their phones warning of “potential missile threats” and asking them to steer clear of doors and windows. The development marks further escalation of the ongoing conflict between Iran and the US that has other Middle Eastern countries, including the UAE, caught in between.
“Due to the current situation, potential missile threats, seek immediate shelter in the closest secure building and steer away from windows, doors and open areas,” the alert read, according to news agency AFP. The alert was reportedly received on Dubai residents’ phones by the Emirati interior ministry.
The fresh alert comes a day after residents of Dubai and Abu Dhabi received another alert of a missile strike on their phones, shortly before a projectile in Dubai was intercepted on Thursday, March 5.
The UAE reportedly repelled 131 drones and six missiles on Thursday, bringing the total into the hundreds when calculated from the day Iranian strikes were first reported in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Airports, embassies, residential areas and military installations across the region have come under fire from daily salvos of Iranian missiles and drones since the war between Tehran, the US and Israel first broke out last week.
Amid concerns in the UAE, the Dubai Police on Friday asked residents to rely on updates from official sources only, and share information along responsibly. “Spreading unreliable news may cause anxiety, and contribute to undermining the security and stability of society,” the Dubai Police said in a tweet.
Flight restrictions to and from the Middle East are seemingly easing up. The Etihad Airways have announced partial resumption of services from Abu Dhabi to at least 65 other destinations, including Ahmedabad, Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru in India.
