Americans in Israel wait for flights to resume amid conflict

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – Since the start of the conflict following the strike in Iran, transportation for tourists and visitors has become increasingly difficult to obtain.

CBS reports that officials in Israel hope to reopen the airport for limited commercial flights on Sunday.

One U.S. citizen tells us she has been trapped in Israel since Saturday the 28th and is still waiting for a flight home.

Diana Kosayev shared video of herself stepping outside a bomb shelter to get fresh air.

“Breathing some air before the alarm again.”

Kosayev explains that she has been taking cover in an apartment bomb shelter as missiles head toward nearby cities.

“Bombs coming toward your city. So already you are panicking inside. You feel like you are ready for that. And then you hear the siren outside, and it is pretty strong, so you are panicking.”

Kosayev tells News 12 what began as a trip to surprise her mother quickly turned frightening.

“At the morning, eight a.m., eight ten, it was the first siren. I got in shock because it was the first time I experienced it. It was crazy for me.”

She adds that shortly after, everything shut down.

“So yeah, since then they said that everything is shut down. You cannot go in and out.”

Although she grew up in Israel as a child, Kosayev states that she has never experienced this level of fear before.

“Fear, yeah. I feel something that I never felt before. And I left behind my four kids and my husband, so it is very tough for them there.”

While she hopes to return home to her husband and children soon, she says leaving Israel is bittersweet.

“I am leaving them here and going back to my comfort zone. It is quiet there, no war. But definitely part of my heart stays here.”