They had been watching the news all morning but she tells the Irish Independent it was in that moment the realisation really hit her.

“This is really happening,” she said.

Ms Loughran (43), who is originally from Co Tyrone, has lived in Dubai for two years but has worked all over the world in conflict zones for humanitarian and aid agencies since leaving journalism over a decade ago.

She was in Odessa when it was bombarded with missiles during the airstrikes in 2023.

Caitriona Loughran

Irish man living in Dubai captures missiles in the night sky

Speaking from Dubai she said the sounds are achingly familiar.

“It is very similar to Ukraine. In Odessa during the airstrikes in 2023 and it was the same sound of the defence missile systems.

“We are all just waiting. It is Ramadan here now and it was at this time yesterday (after 6pm) when the bangs started with the intercepted missiles.

“You are on tenterhooks wondering if it is going to kick off again.

“None of us slept very well and first thing this morning we felt it was going to be another day of it but it is quieter since around 11am.

Ms Loughran said people are adhering to the advice to stay at home and indoors.

Living in the world famous Dubai Marina is a tourist mecca and from her balcony she can see the hotel Byblos pool which is invariably packed with tourists all hours of the day and night. Now it is empty.

The streets are eerily quiet.

“Just before 10am we heard multiple bangs,” she said.

“You could hear it was coming from the North near the airport.

“You know it isn’t hits or strikes it is the defence systems doing their job and smashing the missiles so that is a good thing but then it got closer and I think that was Abu Dhabi side. There are US military bases not too far from here, about a 40 to 50 minute drive, and that is where the focus of the missiles are.

Caitriona Loughran

Irish expats in Dubai and Abu Dhabi recount explosions overhead

“In Damac Hills and Town Square, where a lot of Irish people and families live, are closer to the air bases, so they would have heard them more intensely.

“And a lot of people saw missiles barrelling in the sky.

“You didn’t think the like of the GCC countries (Gulf Co-operation Council countries Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates) would be targeted so significantly and simultaneously.

“You just worry what this means for the Middle East. So many Irish people have made their lives here. It is very disconcerting.

“But the UAE are on top of it and they have intercepted almost all missiles.

“At 00.40 last night they activated the emergency alerts on all phones and you could hear it throughout the whole building and then 10 seconds there was an enormous series of booms.

“So that was more scary because it was at night time.

“And the children here would have found the sirens very frightening.

“Our building is almost all windows and our apartment is on the side so anytime the noise comes I just run to the bathroom.

“When it started my husband was doing the dishes by the window and we heard the first bangs. Even though we had been watching the news all morning it was the moment we realised this is really happening.

“I went to the supermarket this evening and even though the authorities said there was no need to stockpile, there was so much panic buying.

“There was no bread or milk. It was very like the pandemic.

“Everyone is working from home tomorrow that is an order of the government and children and universities are all distance learning.

“Hour by hour we are just watching what is happening. There is a sense of community among the Irish here and we are all checking in with each other.”

She added: “Even though the UAE authorities have everything under control, and their defense systems are capturing the missiles and keeping everyone safe, you can’t help but feel that these strikes have punctured the illusion of Dubai’s safety record somewhat.

“We’ve grown so accustomed to an ultra-protected way of life that moments like this feel like a wake-up call. They remind us that this is still a city situated within a volatile region.

“That said, I don’t believe it will deter people from living here or visiting. It remains an extraordinary place and this is a temporary setback, and it will recover.”