17 March,2026 06:54 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Sania Mirza (Pic: File Pic)
Former Indian tennis player Sania Mirza has returned to Hyderabad to celebrate the last week of Ramadan with her family.
Following the attacks in Dubai amid the West Asia conflict, she decided to return to India along with her son, Izhaan. Speaking to NDTV, she shared her experience of witnessing jets flying above her house and seeing debris around.
"We heard fighter jets above our house and saw interceptions. There was debris that fell around 400-500 metres from where we live," said the former tennis star.
She also told the channel that living with a child forced her to leave Dubai and return to India to stay with her family.
"You don't want your child going through that. He was asking questions. It didn't feel unsafe, but it did feel uncertain and unsettling," said Mirza.
The 39-year-old former tennis player added that Izhaan's school resumes within a week, but the family will make a decision, considering the situation in Dubai.
"School is supposed to start next week, but we'll monitor the situation. I'm lucky that I can come back to Hyderabad and still have a home here with family," she said.
Ahead of Eid 2026, Mirza said that she, along with her son, travels to Hyderabad to celebrate the festival with her loved ones.
"I come every Eid. We try to spend the last week of Ramzan in Hyderabad because Ramzan here has to be experienced. It's always nice to be around family. He (Izhaan) loves coming to his grandparents because nobody says no to anything here. He's travelled a lot already, so he adjusts anywhere," said Mirza.
Earlier, the UAE's Ministry of Defence stated that it was responding to a new wave of missile and drone attacks launched by Iran, Al Jazeera reported.
Meanwhile, the UAE Ministry of Defence said its air defence systems are actively responding to incoming missiles and drones launched from Iran, as per Al Jazeera.
Separately, authorities in Dubai stated that the sounds heard across parts of the city were due to successful interception operations carried out by air defence systems, according to the Dubai Media Office's X post.
