By phone or by siren? Depending on which Gulf country you’re in, the missile alert system may feel like an app store product, or something decidedly more old school.
Mere hours into the US-Israeli war in Iran on Feb. 28, UAE residents heard the first blaring sounds from their mobile phones, alerting them to incoming missiles or drones. Strikes on neighboring Qatar have come with similar shrieks urging residents to seek shelter — even disrupting a TV broadcast — and a subsequent “all clear” message.
As the alerts frayed the nerves of residents, and the air defense system proved its mettle, the UAE authorities changed their approach. From 9:00 am to 10:30 pm, the loud tone is used, followed by a standard text message ping to indicate the threat has passed. Overnight, a regular text message is used for both alerts.
Saudi Arabia only began to test its mobile phone alert system nearly two weeks into the conflict, after hundreds of projectiles had come from Iran. Residents say that no alerts have been sent yet. Bahrain and Kuwait, meanwhile, rely on air raid sirens, with no change in volume no matter the time of day.