In a video circulating on social media, a scene unfolds at an undisclosed hotel restaurant, where diners are seen hastily abandoning their tables and fleeing in apparent panic after a resounding boom echoes through the area.
Given that numerous hotels and landmarks in the city have recently been targeted, it’s understandable why both residents and tourists are on edge, ready to react swiftly to any indication of danger, as depicted in the footage.
However, the alarming noise captured in the video has a far more benign origin than one might initially suspect.
The booming sound is actually the traditional cannon fire that signals the beginning of Iftar, a significant moment during the holy month of Ramadan.
During Ramadan, Muslims observe fasting from dawn until sunset, refraining from eating or drinking. The daily fast concludes with Iftar, the evening meal.
In many Muslim-majority regions, the commencement of Iftar is heralded by the firing of a cannon, which is precisely what occurred in the scene portrayed in the video.
There was no actual explosion or damage at the hotel seen in the video, though the city still remains under threat of bombardment from Iran.
However, there are signs tensions could be easing. Global airline Emirates, which has its base at Dubai International Airport, reported they would slowly resume flights after grounding all of their planes when Dubai was hit by airstrikes.
