Sharjah’s day and night: When drones and missiles streak the sky

“Standing on the balcony, I see lights racing at high speed. One can only wonder where they might eventually strike”

I live in Sharjah with my wife and two children, while my business is based in Dubai. For the past three days, we have been living through a nightmare.

Sirens warning of missile attacks are blaring continuously. My phone constantly buzzes with "missile threat" alerts from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government.

These sirens and notifications have left my children terrified. As parents, we are paralysed by an anxiety that has no clear end date.

So far, from what we have seen, around 156 missiles have been launched at the UAE. Most of them have been intercepted; some have also hit their targets.

From my balcony, I watch streaks of light hurtling through the dark sky at immense speed. I can’t help but wonder where they will eventually strike. Just 1.5 kilometres from my home, a drone hit an industrial warehouse. We could see the smoke and hear the explosions as it burned.

At night, we huddle together in a room with solid concrete walls, avoiding any areas with glass panels that might shatter.

The economic impact is just as devastating. As a perfume businessman, my sales have dropped to zero. This global business hub is now empty of the tourists and shoppers who usually sustain us.

The cost of living is skyrocketing as food prices surge. Onion prices jumped from 1.5 Dirhams to 5 Dirhams in a day.

While the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz has cut off supplies from Iran and Oman and attacks on Jebel Ali Port have disrupted logistics, making everything from vegetables to oil scarce.

Procuring essentials has become a nightmare. It is too risky to go out, but I have no choice but to leave my family behind and brave the danger alone.

Yesterday, I visited the labour markets to speak with fellow Bangladeshis. The fear there is palpable. Construction projects have halted, and for these workers, no work means no income. They are struggling just to afford their daily meals.

Schools have moved online, and we are told this will continue until at least Mar 4. We are simply praying for the war to end. We are ordinary people caught in a conflict we didn't start, waiting for a liberation from this terror that only the creator knows when will come.

[Khondoker Hasibuzzaman is the Managing Director of Enliven General Trading LLC in Dubai]