Contradicting images of parties and war-flooded feeds after Iran targeted Gulf states in retaliation for US-Israeli attacks<\/p>\n
Mike Babayan was in a hookah lounge when he heard the explosion <\/strong>on <\/strong>Saturday <\/strong>night. Dubai \u2013 a gilded playground for the ultra-rich and oligarch class, billed as one of the safest places on Earth \u2013 had been attacked by Iranian missiles. Phones lit up with emergency messages urging residents to take shelter. But Dubai is resilient, at least when it comes to partying. \u201cEveryone just went back to their hookah and food a minute later,\u201d said Babayan.<\/p>\n Still, as a precaution, that night Babayan moved from his main home in the Burj Khalifa, the world\u2019s tallest building and the anchor of the Dubai skyline, to a residence further from the city center. There, he could hear the explosions much clearer \u2013 one every 20 to 30 minutes, he said. \u201cBut everyone is just having coffees, walking around like there\u2019s no care in the world. It\u2019s pretty insane.\u201d<\/p>\n