Bermudian residents in Dubai described it as pretty much business as usual despite reports of tourists struggling to leave the city after missile and drone attacks by Iran.

A week of war between Israel and the US and Iran, 150 miles away, has tested the air defences of the biggest city in the United Arab Emirates and brought fragments of ballistic missiles and drones raining down in some areas.

However, Bermudians in the city described a surreal disconnect between their lives and the panic implied on social media.

James Barrow, a project manager for a $700 million data centre, said yesterday: “I was at the site today, less than 10km from the American airbase, and we did have emergency warning messages and there were four interceptions very close by — but my team displayed stoicism and fortitude.”

Mr Barrow said there was alarm among “newbies” in the overwhelmingly expatriate city.

But he added: “The long-term residents are very much taking it in their stride.”

Another Bermudian, Christopher Moniz, who works in executive protection security, has lived in Dubai for almost 33 years.

Mr Moniz told The Royal Gazette: “I just heard one loud boom go off — some drone getting taken out.”

He said that on the night before, after receiving a government alarm, he drove to the highway and ended up pulling over after an unusual sight.

“Bang, bang, bang,” Mr Moniz said. “I saw six antiballistic missiles going up, maybe a mile away.”

Two nights previously, he and his family were kept awake by the concussions of Iranian munitions getting shot down.

Damage on the ground in Dubai, he said, had come from “fragments of the drones and missiles hitting quite a few buildings”.

Three nights previously, “there were two or three huge booms — everybody in my community came outside”. Another destroyed drone had fallen on an industrial area.

Mr Moniz said: “It’s been a bit hairy. Even this morning, I had five take-shelter alarms.”

He added: “There are still a few tourists here trying to get out. The airports are just totally locked down. No tourists allowed, only people with an Emirates ID card.”

He emphasised the sophistication of the UAE’s defences. “It’s a safe, safe country,” he added.

Kyle James, a business development manager for the Bermuda Civil Aviation Authority, has lived for almost two years in Dubai. From his 28th-floor apartment at the Dubai marina, he described a city getting on with everyday life.

“It’s very calm here. People are still going to restaurants and malls. It’s Ramadan too, so it’s naturally quiet.”

Mr James opted to seclude himself at a meditative retreat last Sunday “probably two hours before everything popped off”.

“I had no clue what was going on. It wasn’t until Wednesday that my girlfriend reached out to say everyone was blowing up her phone.”

He praised the UAE government’s defences: “There have been interception missiles. There have been a few fireworks in the sky, which isn’t exactly comfortable to see, but we’re not running in the streets.”

Mr James said the scenarios on social media were “night and day from what I was seeing”.

“At the end of the day, we’re all watching the news trying to understand what’s going on in the world. That’s scary in itself.”