The fate of this dynamic, aspirational city is important to India and its diaspora. How is it faring after being struck by missiles and drones?
For decades, Dubai has projected an image of serene prosperity—a city insulated from the world’s turmoil. Then came a rude awakening: following the U.S.-Israel attack in late February, Iran retaliated with a barrage of missile and drone strikes across the Gulf, including the UAE. In the days that followed, reports began circulating of expatriates fleeing Dubai.
While it is true that some high-profile celebrity influencers did leave, the overwhelming majority of expats who now call Dubai home have banded together in a show of civic spirit, supporting and uplifting one another. The story of Dubai today is far from one of panic or chaos. It is not an emirate on the brink, as sensational media reports would suggest.
Of course, amid the clouds of war, we are not untouched—but we are far from undone. I may not be in my ultimate Zen mode, but, breathing deeply, I watch the rare Dubai rain soften the edges of everything: blurred glass towers and quieter streets. Life insists on continuing normally.
Between Two Loves: Ghar (India) and Home (UAE)
In 2012, I moved from the restless rhythm of New Delhi to the layered, global heartbeat of Dubai—home to more than 200 nationalities. Since then, I have lived between two loves: ghar (India) and home (UAE).
Today, those two worlds are speaking to each other more than ever. My loved ones call often, pleading with me to come back, even if “just for a while.” Yes, a fleeting thought of giving in to their pleadings has crossed my mind. But no, I haven’t looked at charter flights or mapped routes through Sharjah or Oman—because I am not leaving.
The UAE is home to approximately 4.36 million Indians, the country’s largest expatriate community. Concerns from families abroad are real. Calls have increased. Some families chose to leave the city temporarily—a pause, not a departure. Several have since returned. Large-scale departures have not materialized. The prevailing sentiment is not withdrawal, but watchfulness. People are adjusting, not abandoning.
The Day Everything Shifted
Let’s rewind. It was a Saturday afternoon, Feb. 28. I had been away from my phone for 30 minutes. When I returned, it had exploded: WhatsApp messages, missed calls, and breaking news alerts from Gulf News and Khaleej Times. Something had happened. Fragments of information quickly formed a larger picture. In response to coordinated U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran, the Islamic Republic launched a series of missile and drone attacks on several of the Gulf countries.
That evening, as I walked through Business Bay, a commercial district in my neighborhood, people stood in clusters—not panicking, just processing. Faces carried disbelief more than fear. “This is Dubai!” their expressions seemed to say, shocked that the ripples of war had reached their city, one painstakingly cultivated over decades as a place of prosperity and peaceful coexistence among people from across the world.
The reality of the new normal fully set in when sporadic waves of attacks continued. According to Khaleej Times, as of April 8, 2026, UAE air defenses had intercepted a total of 537 ballistic missiles, 26 cruise missiles, and 2,256 drones launched from Iran. The human toll: 13 fatalities and 224 injuries across the country.
Resilience Over Fear
And yet, the streets have remained functional. The sounds of interceptions have become familiar enough to recognize—yet unfamiliar enough to still unsettle. Life has adjusted in quiet, practical ways. Beds have been moved away from large windows. Emergency bags containing passports, medicines, and water sit by doors. Phones are never too far away.
And still, we gather. We’ve hosted iftars at homes and continue eating meals at restaurants and cafés. People step out cautiously but deliberately—whether to visit Dubai Miracle Garden during its limited window of complimentary entry, or to browse Eid sales at the malls. There is caution. But there is also continuity. Within hours of the initial attacks, schools shifted online. Soon after, early spring breaks were announced.
Living next to a mosque in Downtown Dubai, the sounds of the azan have begun to feel deeper and more anchoring, now interwoven with periodic emergency alerts. Phones buzz with official advisories: remain indoors, avoid windows, await updates. The “all clear” messages that follow are awaited with quiet intensity. Fear exists, but it is contained. It does not spill into disorder.
Political Leaders Set the Tone of Calm and Normalcy
Dubai’s political leaders stepped forward to reassure the public. A video of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum walking through Dubai Mall in early March quickly went viral. Days later, the president visited individuals injured in the attacks, wishing them a full recovery and a safe return home. On Eid al-Fitr, Vice President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum shared a message that felt both personal and collective: “Eid Mubarak. May our Gulf remain safe and strong… we celebrate this blessed occasion in safety, peace, and stability.”
A Community Comes Together
Community WhatsApp groups have become instant information hubs. Within hours of the first alerts, practical questions surfaced: Should we stock up? Freeze bread? Store milk? The response was swift—and telling: “We’re not hoarders. This is Dubai.” Retail shelves remained stocked. At Spinneys in Business Bay, restocking continued as usual. Supply chains carried on without visible disruption. Authorities moved quickly to monitor and prevent price gouging. National media coverage has remained measured—grounded in verified updates and official statements. Michael Jabri-Pickett, founder and managing director of This. Is. Dubai., a media company specializing in the city’s lifestyle and culture, puts it simply: “In covering the war, we rely on verified, official sources and avoid clickbait. As a Dubai-based outlet, we see journalism as a public service and are committed to delivering responsible reporting our audience can trust.” The emphasis has been on clarity over speculation. There is an unspoken contract here: information over noise. And people are honoring it.
Businesses and Organizations Step Up in a Time of Crisis
That sense of continuity echoed across organizations and businesses. Multiple restaurants opened their doors for free meals. Brands such as Danube Properties, Peace Homes Developments, and AraBnB Holiday Homes Dubai came forward to offer free accommodation to those stranded in the city. Homegrown brands were favored for Eid gifts.
Nicki Bedford, founder of Female Founders Network, a platform that supports and connects women entrepreneurs, says, “How founders respond shapes how teams, customers, and communities experience these times of uncertainty.” She reports that founders are extending this concern well beyond their own organizations—checking in on peers and the wider network. “When uncertainty hits, people tend to pull back—cancel plans and delay meetings. But many businesses, especially in hospitality and services, feel that continuing to go out, support local venues, and keep the ecosystem moving is a small but meaningful way to show up for each other.”
Even the events industry, though affected, is adapting. Rhiannon Downie, founder of Bride Club ME, says, “Dubai’s wedding and events industry has shown resilience despite recent disruptions. The destination wedding market has been temporarily impacted, with some international travel plans affected, but local and regional weddings are still going ahead, albeit with adjustments. We’re seeing couples opt for flexible timelines, smaller guest lists, and contingency planning. What’s encouraging is the strength of the community—suppliers are working together to support one another. Even now, love and connection remain at the heart of it all.”
Mark Mortimer-Davies, CEO of Choithrams, a leading supermarket chain, tells me, “Across the UAE, we are seeing a strong sense of calm and resilience, with day-to-day grocery operations continuing largely as normal. Supply chains remain stable through close coordination with government entities, distributors, and logistics partners.” Luthfullah K, director at Casagrand Dubai, a prominent real estate development company, notes: “Dubai’s property market continues to show remarkable resilience, even through periods of global uncertainty, and remains a uniquely stable and attractive destination for investment.” Similar sentiments are shared by Peter Ivantsov, founder and managing partner of GCG Structuring, a corporate services and financial firm. None of their international clients has left in panic. “The retention metric is only part of the story,” he says. “What is important is who didn’t leave. These are sophisticated global investors with many options. Their continued presence in the UAE is part of a long-term, thoughtful investment program—not an arbitrary market comparison.”
The UAE has weathered a somewhat similar crisis before—and learned from it. “The nation’s response to COVID-19 had already established an international benchmark for resilience. “COVID revealed underlying strengths,” Ivantsov points out. “Those strengths are being tested right now. Businesses that restructured in 2020–2021 are now performing better.” Delivery services like Careem, Noon, Deliveroo, Instamart, and Amazon continue uninterrupted, ensuring both essentials and comforts remain accessible.
What Has Changed, and What Hasn’t
There is heightened vigilance. Personal preparedness. A sharpened emotional awareness of risk. What has not changed: infrastructure, supply chains, governance, and the city’s daily functioning. Dubai is not pretending that nothing has happened. But neither is it paralyzed. Beneath the surface, there is a steady belief in stability and recovery.
Between panic and faith, we make choices: order over alarm, information over speculation, community over isolation, continuity over collapse. And for many, that choice is deeply personal. Hanzla Wajid, a 25-year-old account executive at APCO, a global advisory and advocacy firm, puts it into words many here would recognize: “Living through this has been a reminder of how quickly the world can shift. There is uncertainty — the constant checking of updates, the quiet worry. But what stands out is the calm around us. The leadership’s clarity filters into daily life. It allows us to keep showing up, to plan for the future, to feel protected. That reassurance is something I’m deeply grateful for.”
Purva Grover is an author, journalist, and the founder and editor of The Indian Trumpet, a digital magazine for expats in the UAE.