An Israeli family with deep roots in South Florida is enduring a frightening separation as violence escalates in the Middle East, leaving a father stranded in Miami while his wife and six children take shelter from missile sirens in Israel.
Briana Dvorah Biton is currently in Israel with her children as warning sirens continue to pierce the quiet of what was supposed to be a peaceful Sabbath. Video from the family’s home shows the children standing near a window as sirens sound — moments that have quickly become routine amid the escalating conflict.
“It’s the Sabbath, so you’re trying to enjoy your sabbath meal with the kids and do the things that you’re normally doing,” Biton said. “And then all of a sudden there could be a terrifying warning, and then a siren, and then booms, and then go back to the table and get disrupted again. It was kind of like that all day.”
Saturday marked a significant escalation in the region after the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran, heightening fears of broader instability.
When sirens sound, Biton and her children move immediately into a reinforced shelter inside their home. Photos show the children sleeping there overnight, seeking safety as tensions continue. The only family member missing is their father.
Biton’s husband had been scheduled to return to Israel Saturday night, but his flight was canceled, leaving him stranded in Miami. It remains unclear when he will be able to reunite with his family.
“I said to my husband, I don’t know, until I know that it’s really safe to come back,” Biton said. “I don’t know if it’s even worth it to take that chance right now. Kind of right now, the whole world is unsafe.”
Several major airlines, including United Airlines and Delta Air Lines, have canceled flights to Israel and Dubai amid the ongoing conflict. Biton’s husband is currently booked on El Al, which has suspended flights through Wednesday while working to assist Israeli citizens trying to return home.
For this South Florida family, the global conflict has become deeply personal — measured not just in headlines, but in sirens, shelter doors, and the uncertainty of when they will be together again.
