I have lived in Dubai since 2019. Seven years. I have seen this city grow, change, and surprise me in countless ways. But today was different.

This morning started like any other Saturday. Coffee, checking the news, thinking about my flight to Barcelona tomorrow for MWC. Then the headlines started coming in. US and Israeli strikes on Iran. Airspace closures. Then, a few hours later, Iran fired back. And some of those missiles were aimed at the UAE.

I am sitting in my apartment in Dubai Marina right now writing this. Earlier today I heard what I now know were intercept explosions. The UAE air defence systems were working. But one person died in Abu Dhabi from falling missile debris. The photo above was taken not far from here.

It is a strange feeling. Dubai is one of the safest, most well-run cities in the world. The UAE government moved fast, closed airspace, intercepted threats, and kept people informed. The security situation, as they say, remains stable. And yet there is missile debris on the streets.

I am not panicking. But I am paying attention.

The US Embassy issued a shelter-in-place advisory. My flight tomorrow is almost certainly not happening. MWC will have to wait. None of that matters much right now.

What matters is that a conflict that always felt distant has arrived at the doorstep of the city I call home. The Gulf has always been a geopolitical pressure point, and everyone who lives here knows it on some level. Today that knowledge moved from abstract to real.

I will stay home tonight. Keep my family close. Follow the official channels and wait to see how this unfolds.

If you are in Dubai or anywhere in the Gulf right now, stay inside, follow UAE government updates, and take care of each other.

More when I know more.