'Surprising and not surprising:' Tampa Bay community reacts to Iran's weekend attack on Israel
SARASOTA, Fla. - As people in Israel deal with the aftermath of the attacks by Iran, their loved ones in the U.S. are desperately hoping for any kind of relief for their family members overseas.
At one moment, people were told to be within 30 seconds of a safe room in case of a missile striking their location, but only about half of all homes have them leaving a lot of people at risk.
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Liat Alon is from Israel and now lives in Sarasota. Almost all of her family members live in Israel, and she said this weekend for them was filled with terror and uncertainty.
"It was alarming. It was surprising and not surprising. It was very disturbing, and it started a day where we're just glued to the news," Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee Chief Learning & Engagement Officer Liat Alon said.
Alon says her dozens of family members slept in safe rooms Saturday night as she stayed up in the U.S. watching the coverage and alerting them via their landline phones of any updates.
"What happened on October 7th was one of the things that you just you imagining it as yeah, that's the worst-case scenario. And then you tell yourself, you shut yourself down and say, you know, you're just being paranoid. This is not one of those things that could ever happen. Let it go. And then it happens, and then you don't know what's in the realm of possibility anymore," Alon said.
READ: Iran's attack on Israel largely intercepted
Alon says she is hopeful she and her family will see some relief after learning about the international military coalition between the U.S., Britain, France, and a number of Middle-eastern countries.
"I'm hopeful that that's a coalition that can be sustained not just for yesterday, but moving forward. And maybe that's the beginning of an international power core international coalition that could really lead to some sort of viable solution," Alon said.
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As of right now, Alon says all of her family have been out of the safe rooms since this morning, but still staying vigilant.
