American stranded in Dubai amid US strikes on Iran

FOX 2 - As the skirmish among the US, Israel and Iran ramps up — many tourists in neighboring countries are finding it hard to get back home.

The backstory:

That includes Kumar, who is friends with one of our producers here at FOX 2, who was enjoying his trip — until four days ago when smoke and rockets appeared over the water.

The Dubai airport is shut down — Kumar hasn't slept and he’s trying to get out of there.

"When you hear France is chartering planes to come get their citizens, usually we’re on top of that, we’re the first people to do anything," he said. "And right now it’s like you can’t even get a hold of people. The only thing they tell you is 'Hey, get out.' But it’s like how do you get out? They bombed the airport, where do we go? What do we do?"

Kumar shared video he took of the smoke and missiles over the water outside his hotel in Dubai four days ago — as the fighting in Iran had begun.

"Everybody started to panic, everybody whipped out their phones and started to videotape," Kumar said. "We had to be evacuated and we all went into Nobu’s Kitchen, which was sort of underground, and had to be held there for like two hours."

Since then, he’s been trying to get back home to the US.

"Well, they bombed the airport and said all flights were canceled," he said. "And then they said the airport would be closed indefinitely. So, as a mass panic we started searching for flights from anywhere."

His cousin found him a flight out of Muscat.

"The only issue was I had to make this travel there, which ended up being a 10-hour tour through car and immigration, and just craziness," he said.

That craziness — may not be over.

"I’m afraid what I will see at the airport now. I feel like it’ll be a mass load of people trying to get on the same plane I’m booked on. Hopefully I make it man."

Kumar’s plane is scheduled to take off at 5 in the morning in Gulf Standard Time — and they are currently nine hours ahead of us.