As the war rages on, innocent people from all walks of life have been caught in the crossfire.
KPRC 2 spoke to two Houstonians—one still in Israel, who is waiting for Israeli airspace to open back up so she can travel, and another who made it home just a few days before the U.S. bombed nuclear sites in Iran.
Emilio Vallarta, a 23-year-old from Katy, visited Israel from June 6 to June 16. He captured the chaos in a video showing the night sky lit up by rockets and missiles.
“We were there when Israel struck Iran first,” Vallarta said. “That was towards the end of our trip. Everybody was like, ‘Get ready.’ It was just kind of pins and needles, waiting for what was going to happen next.”
Vallarta had to leave Israel by boat after airspace was shut down. “On the 15th, no airplanes were coming in or out,” he said.
His time in the region is something he won’t soon forget. “Towards the end, it was every night going to the shelter, and you could hear the explosions in the air,” Vallarta said. “I’m very thankful for where I live because here, we have peace. It gives you a lot of perspective.”
Kate De Leef, from Bellaire, is currently a student at Reichman University, located just north of Tel Aviv. She shares Vallarta’s perspective on the situation.
“We’ve even been calling it ‘warranty’ like quarantine because everything is closed—schools on Zoom, everything just kind of put to a halt,” De Leef said.
De Leef plans to come home soon but is waiting for the airspace in Israel to reopen. She described the past few weeks while she waits.
“It’s been kind of nonstop,” she said. “Everyone has the Home Command app on their phones, so everyone’s phones start blaring at the same time with the siren outside. You get used to it. You wake up in the middle of the night, and I just go across to the shelter.”
De Leef told KPRC 2 she looks forward to being home and actually getting a good night’s rest, but she plans to return to Israel when classes resume.