JERUSALEM () — A Southern California native playing professional basketball in Israel is documenting her fear and uncertainty as Iranian retaliatory strikes continue, sharing videos and updates on social media while she searches for a way home.
Destiny Littleton, a former USC women’s basketball player now competing professionally in Jerusalem, has been posting footage of missiles streaking across the sky and explosions overhead.
“It’s very much an active war site,” she said in one video.
Littleton said the attacks began Saturday, and the nights since have been harrowing.
“Just seeing that all last night, it just felt so close,” she said.
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In one social media clip, Littleton recorded bright flashes above the city.
“There’s no siren going on right now, and yet there’s these things in the sky blowing up. Pretty sure they’re either missiles or drones,” she said in one video.
She described spending up to 45 minutes at a time in safe rooms. “Every time you close your eyes, you just heard the booms in the sky, you just heard noises and sirens,” she said.
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Mike Shouhed, one of the stars of the reality TV show “Shahs of Sunset,” spoke about his family’s experience moving from Iran to L.A. and reflected on what he believes the fall of Iran’s extremist regime could mean for Iranians worldwide.
Littleton said she feels torn between trusting Israel’s defenses and fearing the next barrage.
“On one hand, I feel really safe, and on the other hand, I don’t feel safe at all,” she said. “The air defensive mechanism here is amazing, but it cannot stop 100% of the missiles, and we saw that today.”
With airspace still closed, Littleton said she and other Americans are desperate to leave but are unable to. “Trust me, all of us, we’re trying to leave at the earliest possible convenience, and with that, just staying calm though. We can’t panic, we can’t freak out, because it’s not going to help anything. Really just praying and hoping that this will end very soon.”
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