Dubai influencer ‘thought strikes were a one-off’ before barrage of emergency alerts on phone

An influencer living in the UAE insists it’s still the ‘safest place’ following a spate of strikes on the nation.

The country’s Ministry of Defence accused Iran of launching an attack featuring a dozen ballistic missiles, three cruise missiles and four drones on yesterday.

The country is now responding to further ‘missile threats’.

Melody Ann Thomas lives and works in Dubai and shares glimpses of her life there on social media.

She told Metro: ‘On May 4, we received [an alert] again for the first time since the ceasefire, and that completely caught me off guard.

‘I was sitting in my office on a high floor surrounded by glass windows, and I just froze. I was hoping it would be a one-off.’

But it wasn’t. Last night, Thomas received five more alerts. ‘There’s definitely an underlying tension that didn’t exist before. It has shifted people’s perspective,’ she added.

In a video posted to TikTok today, Thomas – who works for an investment company – said school and university classes would be held online until at least the end of this week.

She said: ‘Regardless of how you feel about it, these are the facts. Missiles, drones, all of this, is not a normal situation, and it’s always better safe than sorry.’

The 32-year-old, originally from Virginia in the US, started posting to the social media platform about her life in the UAE during strikes on the country earlier this year.

She added: ‘I was getting bombarded with messages from friends and family back home. It felt like a good way to share what was actually happening on the ground and give a more realistic perspective.

‘When debris from an intercepted drone hit a residential building in Dubai Marina, it made the situation feel much more real.

‘That was the point where my family was no longer comfortable with me staying. Thankfully, some flights had started to become available, and I booked a one-way ticket to Thailand.

‘I ended up staying for about five weeks until things calmed down. When the ceasefire was announced, it felt like a collective sense of relief and a return to normalcy.’

Monday’s attacks are the first on the UAE since Iran’s ceasefire deal with the US was reached on April 8.

Despite this, Thomas says she still feels safe and doesn’t ‘really associate the UAE’ with the ‘kind of disruption’ it has experienced over the last few months.

‘To be transparent, I ended up choosing Dubai because I couldn’t get a work visa in the UK. London was the goal.

‘Looking back, it all worked out the way it was meant to. I love Dubai for its safety and sunshine 360 days a year.

‘For me, feeling safe comes down to clear communication and transparency. When people are informed and understand what’s happening, it helps reduce uncertainty and panic.

‘Ultimately, Dubai has become my home by choice, and I genuinely love living here. Day-to-day, it’s still one of the safest places I’ve ever lived.

‘But that doesn’t erase the fact that earlier this year, missiles were being intercepted overhead daily.’