Hundreds of thousands of travelers remain stranded across the Middle East following U.S. military strikes on Iran, with flight disruptions rippling through major regional hubs.
Among them is Shekinah Lee, an American visitor currently unable to leave Dubai, who described witnessing what she said were missiles falling near the airport over the weekend.
Speaking to MS Now host Chris Jansing, Lee recounted the confusion and fear that gripped her group as the situation unfolded.
“We looked up and saw a missile falling out of the sky,” Lee said. “In that moment, we’ve never seen anything like that.”
‘Lots of Uncertainty’
Lee said she and her travel companions have been forced into a holding pattern as flights remain suspended.
“Lots of sitting and waiting, lots of uncertainty,” she said. “We haven’t heard anything, and so we’re just waiting for the shoe to drop almost. We don’t know when we can get out. We know that there’s still no flights in or out.”
She added that the group was able to secure more affordable hotel accommodations while monitoring developments.
The widespread travel disruption follows U.S. strikes targeting Iranian-linked facilities after escalating hostilities in the region. Airspace closures and airline cancellations have left passengers across Gulf states scrambling for updates.
‘We Don’t See Missiles in the Sky’
Lee said she was sightseeing with a large group when the incident occurred.
“As we were outside sightseeing and actually leaving from somewhere, we looked up and saw a missile falling out of the sky,” she said. “We’re all from Chicago, Illinois, where we don’t see missiles in the sky. It’s not the norm for us.”
Unsure how to respond, the group sought shelter.
“We didn’t know what to do but to just get out from that area and try to get to shelter,” Lee said.
Although some mobile alerts came through, she said information was fragmented.
“We were getting some alerts, but we did not have the full story,” she explained. “Throughout that day it was so touch and go — kind of just hearing explosions, but asking the locals, ‘Hey, what’s going on? Should we be afraid? Is this something that happens all the time?’”
According to Lee, some residents appeared unfazed, but the uncertainty weighed heavily on the visitors.
“Being out of our element, we wanted to know more,” she said. “Once we found out what was going on, our first thing we did was contact the U.S. Embassy for more information.”
Ongoing Travel Disruptions
Airlines across the region have suspended or rerouted flights amid security concerns, contributing to a backlog affecting hundreds of thousands of travelers. U.S. officials have urged Americans in the region to monitor embassy alerts and remain in contact with local authorities.
For Lee, the experience has been surreal.
“We’ve never seen anything like that,” she repeated, underscoring the shock of witnessing military activity firsthand while on what was meant to be a routine trip abroad.
