A JERSEY-born teacher living in Bahrain has described fleeing her home after missiles struck buildings next door, following a sharp escalation in hostilities across the Middle East.
Iran launched a series of retaliatory missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and several Gulf cities after its supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, who had ruled the country since 1989, was killed in a joint US-Israeli strike.
Explosions were being reported in Doha, Dubai and Manama over the weekend, while multiple countries – including Israel, Qatar, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and Bahrain – closed their airspace, leaving hundreds of thousands of travellers stranded or diverted.
One Jersey-raised and -educated teacher living in Bahrain, who the JEP has agreed not to name for safety reasons, said she had been living in a high-rise building with no basement when authorities instructed residents to move to the ground floor.
She remained there throughout the day, but later that evening the situation deteriorated.
“I stayed all day yesterday then in the evening two buildings next door got hit by missiles and were set on fire. Authorities told us to evacuate as it’s a high-risk area and to leave high-story buildings.”
‘The airport has been hit and my friends are displaced’
The teacher explained that she is now staying with friends elsewhere.
“I’m now staying with a few friends on a couch in another area. We hear sirens on and off all day. We are not going outside. I didn’t sleep last night because of the loud sirens in the night. The airport has been hit and my friends are all displaced,” she continued.
“We are supporting each other but we don’t know if we really are safe. What is a safe place is the big question. And what is a safe area?”
She said that she and her friends were “hoping for a ceasefire in the near future”, adding: “Hearing missiles all day long hitting other buildings and being intercepted keeps us aware that we are not fully safe.”
In a statement issued on Sunday afternoon, Jersey’s Chief Minister commented: “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by the recent events in the Middle East.
“Many Islanders have personal or professional connections to the region, and they will naturally be concerned for family, friends and colleagues.
“At a time of heightened uncertainty, our priority is to ensure that those who may be affected have access to clear, reliable information.”
He urged anyone considering travel to consult official advice on the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office website, adding: “The Government of Jersey continues to monitor events closely through established channels. We remain in regular contact with UK authorities and will provide further updates or support for Islanders if it becomes necessary.”
He continued: “We recognise that events of this nature are distressing. Islanders who are worried or directly affected are encouraged to seek support and make use of available services.
“Our thoughts remain with all those impacted, and we will continue to keep the situation under close review.”
Jersey has significant ties to the Middle East through its finance industry, with many well-established relationships between Jersey-based businesses and those in the region. Jersey Finance has a presence in the United Arab Emirates, in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).
In Dubai, the main airport – which is the world’s busiest by international passenger traffic – and two luxury hotels have all been damaged.
Some Jersey people living in the region have sought to temporarily relocate from busier areas, while one Islander said that members of their family living over there were “remaining indoors for now”.
“They were still hearing missiles being intercepted this morning but they have said things have quietened down,” she said on Sunday afternoon. But another Islander living in the Emirate said the picture was less concerning than many had been led to believe.
“I’m in Dubai now and, quite honestly, it is no where near as bad as being portrayed in the media. The UAE government is doing an excellent job in my opinion and the vast majority of people are just going about their lives,” she commented.
- This article first appeared in the JEP on Monday 2 March – read the full edition here.
