LOVE Islander Arabella Chi beams in an Instagram post of a glamorous dinner date, with Dubai’s glittering skyline behind her.
In the days that followed, the British influencer’s feed was filled with more carefully curated posts of matcha lattes, poolside workouts and bikini snaps on the beach.
What was not shown was the true devastation taking place since Iran unleashed bombing raids on the emirate in response to US and Israeli attacks.
In an exclusive exposé, The Sun on Sunday has cross-checked the timelines on the accounts of some of Dubai’s biggest influencers and today we reveal just how far they are distorting reality.
London-educated content creator Mitchell Armstrong, who boasts about his $2.1million home there, even mocked those fleeing the city, and scoffed in relation to bombs going off: “I can’t really hear anything over the sound of success.”
After the conflict began on February 28, thousands of Britons fled as missile debris sparked a fire at the entrance of the five-star Fairmont The Palm hotel, with four people reported injured.
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Blasts also damaged the airport and caused a blaze at Jebel Ali Port.
On the same day, Arabella, 35, told followers she was “staying at home” because it was “scary”.
Others, including Petra Ecclestone and Rio Ferdinand’s wife Kate, also shared video posts admitting fear — but many of those clips have since been deleted.
The UAE has some of the strictest social media laws in the world, and after the conflict started, authorities warned against “publishing or circulating rumours and information from unknown sources” online.
A British tourist was among 21 people arrested after allegedly filiming Iranian missile damage.
Dubai influencers must hold a government-issued licence to post paid content, tying their income directly to compliance with regulations.
Anything that could incite panic or damage the country’s reputation can carry heavy fines, prison sentences or deportation.
In the past few days, the influencers — who can make up to £25,000 per sponsored post — have instead shared near-identical videos praising Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and telling followers they feel safe because “we know who protects us”.
And Arabella, who is believed to charge £9,600 a post, has continued with glowing reports of the country.
By March 3, three days after flames were seen on the exterior of famous hotel Burj Al Arab, she was at Asia Asia restaurant in Dubai Marina, a 15-minute drive away, sharing a romantic date night captioned: “A forever kind of love.”
Two days later, a “morning ritual” post showed her working out before heading for a green drink at Riina’s Kitchen + Bakery, a 20-minute drive from Burj Al Arab.
Then came the money-spinning beach shots to her 1.2million followers.
By March 8, Arabella, who moved to Dubai in August with boyfriend Billy Henty and their now ten-month-old daughter Gigi, was posting photos of herself in a white bikini.
Snaps with Gigi were captioned “Sandy toes” — a sun-soaked moment that jarred with what was unfolding elsewhere.
Followers quickly picked up on the fact the beach was deserted.
One wrote, “Stay safe, that beach looks so quiet”, while another asked: “Did everyone leave Dubai?.”
The next day the drones fell near the airport, while debris hit a waterfront tower, sparking a fire and forcing evacuations.
But within hours, Arabella posted glossy images from a luxury jewellery collaboration.
On March 13, debris struck a building in Dubai International Financial Centre, sending smoke billowing over the heart of the city.
Still, nothing changed on her feed.
She was strolling along the sands of Jumeirah Beach — a stretch of coastline adorned with luxury hotels 15 minutes away — again posing in a bikini with her daughter.
By March 16, a drone strike sparked a major fire and shut down the airport, halting flights and plunging the city into fresh chaos.
But British influencer Soudi Al Nadak was painting a very different picture.
Soudi, who met her millionaire husband in Dubai in 2016, has built her following by flaunting an ultra-luxury lifestyle, from diamond jewellery and designer shopping sprees to a £37million private island her husband bought her.
The 28-year-old, who used to live in Sussex and has 1.3million TikTok followers, told fans that Dubai was “quiet and peaceful”, even as explosions rang out and thousands fled.
On March 4, Soudi told followers she felt safe because “we know who protects us”.
One replied: “How much have you been paid to keep on posting government propaganda?”
The morning after a strike on the financial centre, she filmed at the Elements Terrace Lounge at Atlantis The Royal — a 23-minute drive away — insisting: “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”
Just hours after a pre-dawn drone strike on the airport on March 16 she shared blow-by-blow details of her “spoiled brat” Mother’s Day.
It started with a poolside breakfast at the Atlantis The Royal, not far from the carnage, before heading to a spa at the Palazzo Versace, three miles away.
Again, there was no hint of the chaos that was unfolding around her.
Another influencer, Stockport-born mum-of-two Maram Zbaeda Maalouf, who has more than 1.1million followers on Instagram, continued posting lucrative brand deals and family content.
On March 11, one of the days the airport was hit, she appeared in a BMW advert, telling followers: “Luxury is not just about arriving . . . it’s about how the journey feels.”
Two days later, as the financial centre building was struck, she shared a post of her children getting ready for a day out.
In his mocking post on February 28, a shirtless Mitchell said on video: “What does everyone mean there’s bombs and explosions going off in Dubai?
“As long as I’ve still got my sauna and I’ve still got my G-Wagon and I still live in my $2.1million mansion on the Palm, I don’t really care . . . I can’t really hear anything over the sound of success.”
By March 3 he filmed himself shirtless by a luxury pool, joking about the so-called “warzone”.
One viewer replied: “How much they paying for this kind of videos?”
Marc Owen Jones, Associate Professor of Media Analytics at Northwestern University in Qatar, said: “At the moment, I don’t know for sure if they are paid or not, but my expert opinion is that this started as a paid trend.”
On March 11, Mitchell, again shirtless, told his followers: “I’m upset. Imagine waking up in your $2.1million apartment, you go downstairs to your Lamborghini and it doesn’t start so you’ve got to drive your Bentley. This actually really, really p****d me off.” What he did not tell them was that 8.5 miles away people were fleeing the airport.
Dubai welcomed nearly 20million overnight visitors last year, generating an estimated £55billion, with tourism accounting for around 13 per cent of the UAE’s GDP.
But now the Middle East is said to be losing at least £450million a day in visitor spending, with projections warning a prolonged conflict could cost the region £42billion, with hubs such as Dubai among the hardest hit.
One source said: “Is it any wonder that those in power in Dubai will do all they can to push the glossy image. This is no coincidence.”