Several Minnesota families stranded in Israel amid war with Iran
Several Minnesota residents are among the nearly 40,000 tourists stranded in Israel as the country's war with Iran rages.
"The airport is not open so I'm not worried about when I'm leaving," said Kara Rosenwald, from Plymouth, Minnesota. "I'm worried about what's going to happen in the next four to six hours."
Rosenwald arrived in Israel last week to help welcome a special group mission from the Minneapolis Jewish Federation. The trip has since been postponed indefinitely, but Rosenwald is unable to catch a flight as Israel has closed its airspace.
"The most challenging part of all of this not knowing when the next siren is going to happen," Rosenwald lamented, referring to the nighly barrages of Iranian ballistic missiles fired on Israeli cities and towns.
She said she has only 90 seconds to reach a shelter once she hears a siren.
"We're in constant contact with [our kids], anytime we're in and out of the shelter," she said. "We're going to the shelter and then all clear. Same with our parents. We try to have them worry the least amount as possible."
Iran began firing missiles almost immediately after Israel launched Operation Rising Lion on Friday against Iran's purported nuclear weapons program.
Near the American Consulate in Tel Aviv, one missile caused minor damage, U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee on social media. He said no American personnel were injured. Later in the day, the State Department raised its travel advisory for Israel to the highest level and warned U.S. citizens not to travel to the country. House Speaker Mike Johnson announced he was postponing a planned address to Israel's parliament in Jerusalem later this month.
Israel said Iranian missiles had killed a total of 24 people and wounded some 500 others by Monday morning, and the Israel Defense Forces accused Tehran of deliberately targeting civilians with its strikes.
"It's meant to be or it's not meant to be. There's a lot of spirituality about the whole situation," Michelle Shamash, of Eagan, explained to WCCO News. "To me the most amazing experience is the calm. The people are calm, the children are calm. Everybody's calm."
Shamash was scheduled to be in Israel for two weeks to visit her son, Ari, who lives on a kibbutz in southern Israel. She's also traveling with her mother, Linda Perry. They say they don't expect to be back in the U.S. until at least next month — but they're not complaining.
"We're family together in our homeland," Perry, 82, said. "It's wonderful. And with Ari, it's three generations. We're all here together and it's wonderful."
Israel argues that its assault on Iran's top military leaders, uranium enrichment sites and nuclear scientists was necessary to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, which Netanyahu claimed Iran was "racing" toward.
Iran has always insisted its nuclear program is peaceful, but Iran has enriched ever-larger stockpiles of uranium to near weapons-grade levels in recent years and was believed to have the capacity to develop multiple weapons within months if it chose to do so.
