An Australian mother recounted a harrowing experience where her family found themselves flying alongside fighter jets, following an unexpected escape from Abu Dhabi due to a missile threat. What began as a routine stopover quickly turned into a race against danger.

Camille Thioulouse, along with her French husband and their two children, had just landed in the UAE capital. They were en route back to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, when they were caught in the midst of heavy Iranian bombardment.

The attack was fierce, involving 137 ballistic missiles and over 200 drones, filling the air with loud bangs and explosions just as their plane touched down. The ground shook beneath them, marking the start of a tense journey to safety.

The family’s ordeal was far from over upon landing. They embarked on a grueling hours-long journey home, which included switching vehicles three times to evade the chaos and ensure their safe return.

Ms. Thioulouse shared the emotional aftermath, noting that her children have since developed a sensitivity to loud noises. Her nine-year-old son, startled by a slamming door, anxiously asked, “Is that a missile, Mummy?”

“Fleeing a conflict zone with two small children was something I never imagined I would ever have to do,” Ms. Thioulouse told the Daily Mail on Saturday, reflecting on the unexpected and terrifying experience.

‘What should have been a stopover from an amazing holiday; became something entirely different once the conflict began to escalate across the Middle East.’

She described the sense of urgency the family felt as they packed suitcases, snacks and documents while she and her husband tried remain calm for their children. 

 Australian mum Camille Thioulouse and her family (pictured) drove for hours from Abu Dhabi, UAE, to their home in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to flee conflict growing in the Middle East region

The family, who were trying to travel home to Riyadh from a holiday overseas, had to take three cars to make their way across the border

The first flight to Australia from Abu Dhabi landed in Sydney on Thursday morning

The intense attack of 137 ballistic missiles and more than 200 drones shook the ground with ‘loud bangs and explosions’ as their flight touched down in the UAE capital this week

‘You talk about the journey like it’s an adventure, even when your mind is racing with logistics and uncertainty and the adrenaline is coursing through your veins,’ she said. 

The family had been flying to the UAE for a flight connection when they received text messages in the air warning of missile threats.

‘We then saw fighter jets leaving the airspace and flying past us. These alerts kept going off every 15 minutes,’ she told 7News earlier this week. 

She said 90 per cent of the Iranian missiles and drones fired were intercepted, but alerts and alarms continued waking them up throughout the night, warning of fresh attacks and urging them to take cover. 

The family stayed in a secure hotel until they embarked on a multi-staged odyssey home on Thursday, with their journey to thxe UAE border taking over three hours. 

They then transferred to another car to cross through the checkpoints – including passport checks, visa checks and luggage checks. 

After finally getting through the border checks, the family met a third car which took them six long hours to Riyadh, in Saudi Arabia, via desert highways. 

‘(The roads) seemed to stretch endlessly, camels on the side of the road and long stretches of desert with sand and more sand,’ she said. ‘But with every kilometre, the tension eased a little. We knew we were getting closer to our home.’

The drive from Abu Dhabi to Riyadh took about 10 hours

Ms Thioulouse said that when they had dinner at home, one of her children heard a bang and asked if it was a missile (pictured, people at a traffic signal in Dubai after an Iranian attack)

Ms Thioulouse, who runs her own PR and talent management consultancy The Société and has worked at fashion label Rebecca Vallance, had only just moved from Australia with her kids in December to join her husband, architect Nicolas Thioulouse, in Riyadh. 

She said there was a sense of relief on arriving home to their compound in the city, but the ordeal continues to take its toll on the family, including her children.

‘We had dinner in the compound at the restaurant as we were too tired to cook after the travel and the events of the last few days,’ she said.

‘A door suddenly slammed loudly in the restaurant, and the noise made us all jump. Our nine-year-old son, Raphaël said “Is that a missile, Mummy?”

‘We are now having conversations with our children about war and safety far earlier than we imagined, hoping they are coping with this experience in their young lives.’

Ms Thioulouse said life in Riyadh feels ‘pretty normal’ but the children’s school remains closed. 

‘Some expats have headed to their homes in the UK and Europe early, ahead of the break (at the end of Ramadan) in a few weeks,’ she said. 

‘But for now, we feel safe here.’

Ms Thioulouse said life in Riyadh feels ‘pretty normal’ but the children’s school remains closed

Thousands of flights were delayed or cancelled in the biggest disruption to global air transport since the Covid pandemic as airlines suspended services to the Middle East 

More than 1,000 people are believed to have been killed since the US and Israel bombed Iran last weekend, prompting retaliatory strikes on nearby US allies and broader regional conflict. 

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has confirmed three Australian defence members were onboard a US nuclear submarine that sank an Iranian ship.

The personnel were on the submarine as part of a training rotation for the AUKUS security pact, which will provide Australia with nuclear vessels. 

The first flight to Australia from Abu Dhabi landed in Sydney on Thursday morning with only about a third of its seats filled, passengers said. 

Another two Emirates flights from Dubai landed in Australia overnight into Friday and several more are scheduled to depart from the war-torn region, as passengers are encouraged to keep their tickets and stay in constant contact with their airlines.