Minnesotans work to leave Middle East as Iran war rages on: "There are no flights out of Israel"
On Thursday, the Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs posted on X saying nearly 20,000 Americans have returned to the U.S. from the Middle East since the end of February.
As the war continues, the U.S. State Department is urging Americans to leave 14 countries in the region.
One Minnesotan in the occupied West Bank tells WCCO he feels safe.
On the morning of Feb. 28, Bill Davnie, who lives in downtown Minneapolis, heard sirens and witnessed an incoming intercepter from a farm he's been working on since Feb. 13.
"We have heard a bunch of thuds but unsure of where they are" he said in a video he sent to WCCO. "We're outside of any town or city and the West Bank itself is an unlikely target. We're probably safer here if we were in Israel proper" he told WCCO in an interview.
As someone who's held roles as former American diplomat and at the U.S. Embassy in Lithuania, Davnie says scenarios like this aren't new to him, but this one is different.
"I was rather stunned that they hadn't thought of this at all. About evacuating people when the war started. That's not what happened back in '03 for example," he said.
On Wednesday, the State Department said a charter flight of Americans left the Middle East, and have since told CNN more are underway.
"The border crossings from Israel to Egypt and Jordan are open," said Elad Strohmayer, the Consul General of Israel to the Midwest.
WCCO spoke with Strohmayer on Thursday. He said he's in close contact with authorities across Minnesota.
"There is information on the websites on the ministry of tourism in Israel with information on how to get to crossings because right now there are no flights out of Israel," he said.
It's guidance Davnie says he's following.
"I'm set to go out. I mean, I got my e-visa with Jordan yesterday" Davnie added. He said he feels comfortable with his week left on the farm.
"Part of the complications is in most foreign policy matters we Americans are so comfortably located and so insulated from most international realities" said Davnie, adding it's not his first rodeo.
As the situation evolves, airlines like Qatar, Emirates and Etihad continue to post updates online.
