Members of a Florida church are finally safe after being caught in the middle of escalating tensions between the U.S., Israel, and Iran.
Pastor Randy Helms of GT Church says he and members of his congregation were visiting Israel when conditions changed rapidly Saturday. The U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran, prompting retaliatory missile and drone attacks.
Helms said sirens sounded repeatedly, forcing the group to scramble for shelter.
“17 or 18 times, the sirens sounded in Tiberius, where we were. We had to rush to a bomb shelter,” he said, describing the experience as frightening. “We didn’t know what was going on. Our guides, of course, did, and they immediately took us off to a shelter,” Helms said.
Desperate to return home to Florida, Helms said he contacted U.S. authorities for help but received none.
“We contacted the State Department, anyone else we could think of to help us. Called airlines, called travel agents. You get no help. No one could help us get out of Israel,” he said.
Eventually, someone in the group reached out to Grey Bull Rescue, a private rescue organization. Founder Bryan Stern said the group operates without bureaucracy. “Big thing with us is that we have no bureaucracy. I don’t answer to anybody. The only people I answer to are the people we’re trying to rescue,” Stern said.
Helms said they were told to be ready within minutes. “We got a call to have our suitcases in the lobby to board a bus in 20 minutes and we did it,” he said. The group has since gotten out of Israel. “I will tell you that we have crossed the border. We’re out of Israel, we are safe, praise the Lord,” Helms said.
Others remain stranded. Aventura resident Scott Wayne said he is still stuck in Jerusalem and struggling to get assistance. “I’ve contacted the White House. I’ve contacted the STEP department. I’ve sent multiple emails to Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and I can’t get any help getting out of Israel,” Wayne said.
The U.S. State Department is urging Americans to depart Middle Eastern countries as soon as possible. Officials said they are in contact with approximately 3,000 Americans abroad who are looking to leave the region. The department also announced it will begin chartering flights to evacuate Americans from the Middle East, though it remains unclear when those flights will begin.
Several commercial airlines have paused or postponed flights to and from Israel and Dubai amid the ongoing conflict. El Al said it plans to operate rescue flights but has not announced specific dates. Emirates said it will operate rescue flights on Tuesday and Wednesday. Meanwhile, flight tracking data from Flightradar24 shows aircraft diverting to avoid airspace around Iran as tensions continue.
