Students at NYU Abu Dhabi are sheltering in dorms after Iranian missiles landed around five miles away from the campus, part of a retaliatory attack following the U.S.-Israeli strikes. NYU Tel Aviv, roughly two miles from a separate missile-struck block, is also addressing alerts “as appropriate.”  

Monday classes at the Abu Dhabi site are canceled, and Tuesday and Wednesday classes will be held online. Administrators issued several emergency alerts Saturday evening — advising students to remain indoors, avoid rooms with windows and use underground pathways to access dining halls — and the Emirati government also alerted students to seek shelter immediately. Around 100 students evacuated to the basement carrying passports, cash and dry food to prepare for a prolonged stay, according to a student at the campus who spoke with WSN anonymously due to safety concerns. 

No students have been reported injured or dead as a result of the strikes.

“I just heard a bunch of explosions going off. Our RAs were banging on our front doors and telling us to evacuate to the basement area,” the student, a senior based at NYU Abu Dhabi, said. “We saw a bunch of white puffs in the sky as the missiles or the drones were being intercepted.”

The student said they heard an explosion every few hours, describing them as sounding similar to popcorn popping but “much louder.” Several students also reported seeing smoke rising from the French naval base Camp de la Paix, located about 15 minutes away from NYU Abu Dhabi by car, on Sunday — an attack later confirmed by the United Arab Emirates defense ministry. 

Explosions also damaged a restaurant just over 10 minutes away from NYU Tel Aviv. Eran Rotshenker, a director for student housing at the site, told WSN that while students and staff are not sheltering in place, they are “responding to specific alerts as appropriate.” The site will hold remote classes on Tuesday. 

In a universitywide email on Saturday, President Linda Mills said that NYU is “in close contact” with teams at the two sites and is monitoring the impact of the strikes. Dean of Students Rafael Rodriguez emailed students from the Middle East later that day, offering counseling, immigration and religious resources.

For students observing Ramadan, the NYU Abu Dhabi senior said the campus is planning to deliver snacks for Muslim students to break their fast so they would not all go to the dining halls. Administrators also considered delivering food to observing students for their predawn meals on Monday morning, they added.

The U.S.-Israeli attacks — which have killed over 200 people and injured at least 700 across Iran — took place amid nuclear talks between the United States and Iran, and retaliatory missile strikes in the UAE resulted in three fatalities and 58 injuries. Israel and the UAE closed their airspaces on Saturday in response to the attacks, and airlines in both countries temporarily halted their operations.

“We barely see people walking,” the student in Abu Dhabi said. “We did not run into a single soul until late afternoon. I’d say other than the dining halls, the rest of the campus is just completely silent.”

Contact Leena Ahmed, Amanda Chen and Zachary Karp at [email protected].