ORLANDO, Fla. — Floridians currently in the Middle East are searching for any way possible to return home as escalating conflict involving Iran spreads across the region.
Several Americans say they have no clear way out, as flights across much of the Middle East have been cancelled and airspace closures continue to expand.
The U.S. State Department has issued a rare “depart now” advisory, urging Americans to immediately leave 14 countries in the region, including Israel, Iran, Iraq and Egypt. The advisory Tuesday told Americans to leave using commercial transportation.
But for many travelers, including one Central Florida Rabbi, those commercial options have already disappeared.
Rabbi Yosef Konikov, the rabbi of Chabad of South Orlando, is among those stranded.
He traveled to Israel for a week-long family visit in Jerusalem and had planned to return to Florida on Saturday. But those plans changed quickly when the conflict escalated, and Israel closed its airspace. Hundreds of flights were cancelled.
Now, the rabbi says he has no idea when he will be able to return home.
“They say everything’s up in the air, and they don’t know until everything’s in full operation—and it’s not,” Konikov said.
While waiting for answers, Konikov and his family are experiencing the conflict firsthand.
Sirens warning of incoming missiles regularly sound across parts of Israel. Residents rush to shelters as defense systems intercept projectiles overhead.
“You hear the sirens and you hear the booms in the sky,” Konikov said.
Cell phone video taken Wednesday shows the rabbi and others inside a shelter in Jerusalem. Some people are singing, and a few are wearing costumes in the spirit of the Jewish holiday Purim, even as air defenses intercept missiles outside.
Konikov says he has seen missile interceptions himself.
“If you are out and about and you’re not near shelter, then you’ll see it in the sky. I saw it several times.”
Despite the tense situation, he says the majority of incoming missiles have been intercepted and that he still feels safe.
The State Department’s advisory comes as airspace disruptions ripple across the Middle East.
Flight tracking data Wednesday night showed a massive hole in air traffic across large parts of the region as airlines diverted routes or cancelled flights entirely.
For Americans trying to leave, the lack of available flights has made evacuation plans uncertain.
With commercial travel from Israel halted, Konikov and his wife are now considering other options, including traveling by land into Egypt in hopes of catching a flight back to the United States.
“We didn’t want to consider these other options, but we may because I would rather know what we’re doing than just wait around and not know,” he said. “And we have a lot to do in Orlando.”
The State Department says it is working to facilitate charter flights for Americans leaving the region from the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, though officials have not announced when those flights may begin.
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