ABU DHABI: "I thought it was sand being poured from lorries at a construction site near our house... turned out they were missiles," shared a Malaysian citizen living in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
"A chill ran down my spine when I realised what was really happening," said Nur Hamiza Ahmad, a housewife and mother of three who came to reside in the kingdom two years ago with her husband.
The missiles were believed to be targeted at the Al Dhafra Air Base in southern Abu Dhabi, which has become a key United States Air Force (USAF) hub. It is located some 50km her residence in Khalifa City.
"My biggest fear is that they missed their target. The explosions were so loud that it shook our house," she said with a quiver.
According to Nur Hamiza, fellow Malaysians in their WhatsApp group also expressed fear at this experience, which they had never faced before.
"I worry that I may not get to return home for Eid due to this conflict. My hope is for the war to end soon and the airspaces reopened," she said, adding that already, she missed the funeral of her oldest sister, who passed away on the third day of Ramadan recently.
"We have already bought our tickets… along with souvenirs for my siblings,” she added. She planned to return home to Teluk Intan, Perak on March 16.
During the course of this interview, loud noises from passing missiles could be heard in the background.
"No less than 10 missiles passed over our rooftop," she said.
Nur Hamiza also shared a screenshot of an SMS from her telco, urging users to take shelter in a secure building and to stay away from windows, doors, and open areas.
She added that her friends’ husbands who had taken time off during the weekend to go fishing at sea had been instructed to return to shore by the Abu Dhabi authorities.
"For now, we can only pray for our safety.. and to wait for instructions from the embassy and monitor the news from time to time," she said.
As tensions in the region boiled over into open conflict, the United States (US) and Israel on Saturday began hitting sites across Iran, including in the capital Tehran.
According to German Press Agency (dpa), in retaliation for the joint US-Israeli strike, the Iranian military said it launched attacks on four US military sites in Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and the UAE.
Targets included Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, Al Dhafra Air Base in the UAE, and the US naval fleet in Bahrain, according to Iran's Fars News Agency.
A wave of missiles was also launched by Iranian forces towards Israel.- Bernama
