DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — It was supposed to be a romantic getaway for Sarah Matti and her husband, a warm winter break away from their three young children in Dubai to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary.
Instead of relaxing in the sunshine, Matty told NBC News on Monday that he had seen and heard “a lot of rockets” — some of which were intercepted “outside our hotel” — and called it “terrifying.” NBC News agreed not to name the hotel out of fear that it could be targeted because so many American tourists are staying there.
Now, like millions of travelers across the Middle East, Metty is stuck in the region. The planes were grounded after Iran retaliated against its neighbors, including the United Arab Emirates, after the United States and Israel bombed the Islamic Republic, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“We’re really looking forward to this trip,” he said at his hotel on Tuesday, adding that it “isn’t cheap and something we’ve never done before, just the two of us.”
“Trying to avoid is really hard,” said Metti, 45, who arrived in Dubai last Monday. She said she worried days before returning home to her three children, ages 16, 9 and 8, in Nashville, Tennessee.
The defense ministry of the UAE, an oil-rich union of seven sheikhdoms, said on Sunday that its air defenses had intercepted 165 ballistic missiles, two cruise missiles and more than 540 Iranian drones in two days.
And the US embassy told them to shelter in place and since then they haven’t left the hotel, Metti said. He said he has tried to book multiple flights “trying to get out as soon as possible”, but every one he has booked so far has been cancelled.
“We want to go home to our kids,” he said, adding that he “has a family at home that will take care of them while we’re gone.” Although she worried “10, 12, 14 days we’re going to be here without our kids.”
After the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran over the weekend, the Islamic Republic launched retaliatory attacks on several nations, including Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, Oman and Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Dubai International Airport – the world’s busiest international hub – was closed for the third day in a row on Monday, although it is expected to reopen in the evening.
The airport was damaged and four employees were injured, the Dubai Media Office said on Sunday.
A fire broke out at Dubai’s Jebel Ali port, the city’s main seaport and major shipping hub.
Videos and pictures posted on social media on Sunday showed smoke licking up the facade of the famous Burj Al Arab hotel and smoke rising into the sky near the iconic Burj Khalifa, a 2,723-foot skyscraper that towers over the city.
Others showed fire Saturday outside the Fairmont Hotel on the prestigious artificial Palm Jumeirah island.
Alex Boquet was meeting some friends near the Fairmont when he “heard this big bang.”
The 30-year-old CEO of The Modern Freelancer said on Monday that he has lived in Dubai for more than a year and has always felt safe, “but at the time, it was a little too close for comfort.”
After calling some friends, he decided to leave the city as soon as possible. So, after returning to his place to grab “my passport, all the cash I could, some matches, a sweater in case I got stuck somewhere cold in the middle of the night,” they drove to the desert, where they rented a place.
He said Dubai was the “epicenter of Iranian threats” to him, adding that he thought Tehran was targeting the city because it was the “capital of tourism”.
“Most of us are in business and we are lucky enough to work remotely,” he said, adding that he will stay in his rented accommodation no matter how long it takes.
“We’re a little horrified by what happened at the Fairmont,” he said.
For Metti, he said the priority was to get home as soon as possible, but the attack on the airport worried him.
“I definitely don’t want to fly out if they’re going to attack the airport, they’re trying to shut this place down,” she said, adding that her three children knew they were delayed and would go home as soon as possible.
Her 16-year-old son “holds it together,” she said, adding, “He’s very cool, calm and collected.”
Keir Simmons reports from Dubai. Shira Pinson and Sarah Monetta report from London.
