Cindy McCain has safely left Dubai amid escalating military activity across the Middle East, thanking those who helped her leave the region.
McCain did not provide details about the circumstances of her departure or who helped arrange it.
“I want to thank all who were involved in getting me and my party out of Dubai,” McCain wrote in a March 7 post on the social media platform X. “I’m grateful beyond words thank you.”
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The development comes as tensions across the Middle East have surged following joint U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran on Feb. 28 that killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to statements from President Donald Trump and Iranian state media.
Iran responded with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel, U.S. military installations and other countries in the region.
In Israel, missile alerts and airport closures left some American visitors stranded. Among them was a women’s Christian group from Calvary Chapel Snowflake in northern Arizona that traveled to Israel for a pilgrimage to religious sites. With Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport closed and commercial flights halted, U.S. officials said they were unable to directly evacuate Americans trying to leave the country.
Across the region, governments have reported intercepting large numbers of missiles and drones. In the United Arab Emirates, officials said they intercepted more than 170 ballistic missiles and hundreds of drones launched by Iran. Despite the defensive efforts, some attacks caused casualties and injuries.
Residents in cities such as Abu Dhabi have described hearing repeated explosions and receiving emergency alerts instructing them to seek shelter indoors. Some Americans living in the region have said they are weighing whether to leave or wait for conditions to stabilize.
It was not immediately clear how McCain left Dubai or whether her departure was part of a broader evacuation effort.
McCain, 71, stepped down in late February as executive director of the United Nations’ World Food Programme after suffering a stroke last year. She had led the agency since 2023 and previously served as U.S. ambassador to the U.N. agencies for food and agriculture.
Her humanitarian work has included efforts to address global hunger, human trafficking and landmine removal.
Rey Covarrubias Jr. covers business and breaking news for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Email him at: rcovarrubias@azcentral.com, and connect with him on Instagram, Threads, Bluesky and X (formerly Twitter) at @ReyCJrAZ.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Cindy McCain ‘grateful beyond words’ after safely leaving Dubai