Dubai residents receive alerts of potential missile attack, urged to avoid outdoors
PTC News Desk: A wave of panic engulfed Dubai after the residents received an alert on their phones regarding a potential missile attack on Friday amid the escalating tensions and ongoing hostilities in the Middle East.
According to the alerts, residents have been warned against venturing outdoors and exercise utmost caution while being prepared for any situation.
"We got four back-to-back alerts on the phone. We have stocked up on essentials and kept a bag ready with all important documents, including passports, in case of any emergency," a Dubai resident said.
Air travel across the Middle East has been severely impacted following escalating tensions triggered by coordinated strikes by the US and Israel, killing Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The hostile developments since then have resulted in widespread closure of airspaces and travel chaos across the region.
Dubai houses one of the busiest international airports and key global transit hub and now it has been among the cities affected as tensions intensified following retaliation to the joint offensive.
The United Arab Emirates has rejected a media report claiming it was considering joining the United States and Israel in military strikes against Iran.
On Tuesday, Axios reported that the UAE was discussing what it described as an unprecedented step following Iranian drone and missile attacks on the country.
Shortly after the report appeared, the UAE issued a statement through the Emirates News Agency (WAM), saying it had not made any decision to change its defensive stance despite repeated attacks from Iran.
- With inputs from agencies
