Several Israeli families trying to salvage their Pesach travel plans through the United Arab Emirates found themselves stranded overnight at Dubai International Airport after a drone incident triggered emergency procedures.

The situation unfolded despite warnings from Israel’s National Security Council advising Israelis not to transit through the UAE during the current conflict.

One Israeli woman told Ynet she was stuck in Dubai with her five children after flights were disrupted.

“We wanted to escape the situation in Israel and ended up with something worse,” she said.

The problems reportedly began even before arrival. While waiting for a connecting flight in Larnaca, Israeli passengers were separated from other travelers and required to undergo additional immigration checks.

After landing in Dubai, the situation escalated when a drone incident near the airport triggered emergency protocols.

“They moved everyone down to level minus one,” the woman said. “We were there for four hours… there were thousands of people, elderly travelers and babies.”

Passengers said airport staff provided little information, repeatedly saying there was “instability” without explaining what was happening or when flights would resume.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)