UK influencer Kate Ferdinand and entrepreneur Luisa Zissman slept in their basements with their children during Iran's missile strikes in Dubai. They described the experience as “scary” and “surreal”.
Iranian air strikes began on the famous Palm Jumeirah this weekend, with missiles launched across parts of the Middle East after the US and Israel's latest declaration of war on Tehran. As one of the United Arab Emirates' top holiday hotspots, Dubai is home to a growing number of British expatriates, celebrities and influencers.
Zissman, 38, said she and her family had planned to head to the park when the missiles began hitting the city. They moved to their basement to stay safe.
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Zissman and two of her daughters, Indigo Esme, nine, and Clementine, seven, moved to Dubai earlier this year to join her husband, businessman Andrew Collins. Her eldest daughter, Dixie, 15, whom she shares with ex-husband Olivier Zissman, has remained in the UK to complete her schooling.
The former The Apprentice star improvised to keep her children occupied while sheltering. She shared updates showing how she was baking bread and setting up a sleeping space underground, including making room for friends who were planning to stay with them.
“Nothing major has happened, everything is relatively fine… when you're here, it's not so bad.”
Describing the situation in Dubai as “surreal and scary”, Zissman documented how she was keeping her children distracted with baking and watching television as the strikes unfolded.
Fellow UK influencer Kate Ferdinand also told followers she and her family endured “a very scary night” in their basement.
“Thank you for all of your messages and sorry for the silence, I haven't wanted to worry you all I just haven't been able to find the words. We are safe,” she said on Instagram.
“The government is doing an amazing job of keeping it that way and despite my nerves I feel we are in very safe hands. We are hoping for a calmer evening tonight, last night was very scary. Although Cree and Shae loved it as they couldn't believe it, we all got a sleepover in the basement. Thank you for all of your prayers, this whole experience is very eye opening & I am praying for anyone affected. Lots of love to everyone.”
Kate and her husband, former England footballer Rio Ferdinand, moved to Dubai last year with their children Cree, five, and Shae, two, as well as Rio's 14-year-old daughter, Tia, from his first marriage. His two eldest sons, Lorenz, 19, and Tate, 17, have remained in the UK to pursue their football careers.
Kate reached out publicly to others in Dubai, including Zissman. She left a series of red love heart emojis beneath Zissman's post about sheltering safely.
At least 201 people were killed and 747 wounded after the US and Israel bombed Iran on February 28. The joint offensive killed several top Iranian figures, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. Missiles also struck civilian areas, including a girls' school, where more than 100 children were reported dead.
In retaliation, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired waves of ballistic missiles and drones at US military bases and allied locations across the Gulf, with explosions reported in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait. In the UAE, including Abu Dhabi and Dubai, falling debris and blast impacts killed at least three foreign workers.
