After the US-Israel attack on Iran and the disruption to travel, some flights are resuming. Dubai Airports said “limited” flights would restart on Monday evening, three days after they were cancelled. British people living in the Middle East or travelling through the region told the Guardian they were struggling to know what to do in an ever-changing situation. Others spoke about their efforts to return to the UK. Here are some of their experiences: ‘We’re getting very little sleep, feeling trapped, and the kids are nervous’ Frankie, her husband and their three small children have been living in the underground car park of their apartment building in Bahrain since Saturday’s attack. They live in Muharraq near the coast, and Frankie, 37, who works in education, says missiles and drones are being intercepted above them. “We have been sleeping on the floor and trying to keep our children occupied as we hear sirens and explosions,” says Frankie, whose children are five, six and nine. “We can go to our apartment to use the bathroom, get snacks and toys for the children in between the sirens going off on our phones,” says Frankie, who moved with her family to Bahrain from Leeds two and a half years ago. “We’re getting very little sleep, feeling trapped, and the kids are nervous. It’s been hard to explain to them what’s happening, but we’ve been teaching them charades and playing leapfrog and the Bahraini community has really pulled together.” Frankie says they registered with the embassy, and had stocked up on food before the attack. They had visas arranged to go to Saudi Arabia should they need to; however, she adds that they do not think they will be able to leave and flights have been cancelled. “Some of our friends have left, others are staying. We don’t want to leave Bahrain, but living like this is unsustainable.” ‘This is our home – we don’t want to leave unless we absolutely have to’ Lucy*, 45, who lives in Dubai with her husband and two sons, said the shelves of her local supermarket cleared within hours of the attack on Iran. “Once news broke friends were saying there were queues for petrol,” she says. “The shelves of our local supermarket were clear – there was no pasta, no milk and the meat aisle was empty. It has shades of the Covid era, with people initially panic buying and the streets empty of people, and schools in the region moving to online learning.” Lucy, who works in education and is from the Midlands, moved to Dubai with her husband and sons, now 12 and 16, three years ago. “We live near an airbase, which is doing a lot to intercept the constant barrage of missiles and drones,” she says, adding that her youngest is having to wear noise-cancelling earphones. “We are living in a constant state of anxiety.” While some expats are considering leaving Dubai once the airspace opens, she feels staying there is safer than being in transit. “We have a ‘grab bag’ by the door just in case, but we are trusting that we are safe and the government is doing an incredible job protecting its people,” she says. “There has been the suggestion of getting people to Saudi – but that is an 11-hour journey. This is our home, and we have pets. We don’t want to leave unless we absolutely have to.” ‘The coach fares to Riyadh have increased’ Saif has been living in Saudi Arabia for 12 years and was in Dubai with his parents and son for the weekend when the attacks happened. He left on Sunday and travelled 18 hours by coach to get back home to Riyadh, while his family, including his 11-year-old son and parents, stayed in Dubai with his cousins. “My parents were over in Riyadh visiting us from Manchester,” says Saif, 40, who works in the museum and immersive arts sector. “I am trying to get my parents and son booked on another coach so they can join me in Riyadh. Since yesterday [Sunday], the fares have slightly increased.” He said another option was for him to drive back to Dubai to pick them up, as health problems mean his mother cannot travel without stopping regularly. “We are waiting to see how things work out,” he says. “Most of their luggage and medications are here in Riyadh.” He said Dubai was “very calm” when he left on Sunday. “You can hear everything, feel the vibrations, even if you don’t see an explosion,” he says. “It’s very scary, but it’s also very much under control. Everyone is being looked after.” Saif, his son and his parents were scheduled to travel back to Manchester on 12 March for Eid. “That could still happen,” he says. “The worst-case scenario, which is not so bad, is that I have to drive back to Dubai and pick them up and bring them back to Riyadh.” He adds: “This whole situation shows us to a tiny degree, what it must be like for the people of Gaza and Palestine, Ukraine and in conflict zones around the world. Hopefully, the world can reflect on this moment and think about ways we can come back together.” ‘We just want to get home’ Heleyne Hammersley was on her way back from a holiday in Malaysia with her partner, en route to Dubai to catch their connecting flight to Edinburgh, when they learned their trip would be unexpectedly extended. “We circled Dubai airport on Saturday morning for about an hour before we were allowed to land, and then discovered that everything was cancelled,” she says. Hammersley, who lives in Carlisle and had been holidaying to celebrate her 60th birthday, says initially they “struggled to get information”. She adds: “It was a bit chaotic at first, but Emirates eventually got organised and piled us all on to buses and dropped us at various hotels around the city. “We’ve heard the odd explosion and seen smoke, but there’s no real sense of panic among the people staying in the hotel. People are frustrated, fed up and tired, but I’m not getting any sense that anybody’s been especially panicky. I think everybody’s kind of resigned to it.” Hammersley, a supply teacher, says they have booked a flight back to the UK for Thursday, landing at Newcastle, although they will still have to pick up their car from Edinburgh. “We took the Newcastle flight as that was the soonest we could get back,” she says. “Obviously, we don’t know if that will go ahead, because we don’t know if the airspace will be open or not. The hotel is OK, we’re being fed, but we really just want to get home.” *Name has been changed
‘A constant state of anxiety’: Britons caught up in Middle East conflict
Some who live in region are unsure what to do amid missile strikes, while others are desperate to get home to the UK
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