Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis greeted Americans evacuated from Israel early Friday morning after the state chartered rescue flights for Floridians seeking to flee the country amid escalating tensions with Iran.
DeSantis hugged the evacuees shortly after they touched down at Tampa International Airport.
The governor during a press conference said the process to bring them back to the United States was difficult and complicated.
“This is not something that is easy to do,” DeSantis said. “There’s logistical challenges.”
Kevin Guthrie, executive director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said two rescue flights carrying around 300 people have landed, while about 1,100 people are on a passenger ferry.
“Evacuation flights are still ongoing as part of Florida’s unprecedented mission to bring our residents homes,” Guthrie said. “This operation will continue 24/7 with the safety and well-being of Floridians and Americans as our top priority.”
Florida partnered with Grey Bull Rescue, a Tampa nonprofit organization which evacuates citizens in conflict zones. Americans stranded in Israel seeking to leave the country can complete a Grey Bull emergency evacuation form to initiate the process of leaving.
Sen. Jay Collins (R-Fla.) traveled to Israel with Grey Bull teams and state officials to assist with the evacuation efforts.
DeSantis said the state of Florida also partnered with the Israeli government to execute the mission.
The evacuees on the rescue flights back to Florida include Jewish families, young college students who were studying abroad, and a Christian church group.
Josh Hammer, a Newsweek editor and Florida resident, was among those rescued. Hammer traveled to Israel to attend a wedding with his family when tensions escalated. A turning point for him to leave the country was when two people died in a bomb shelter after a direct hit from a ballistic missile, he said.
Grey Bull earlier this week shared images on social media of the first groups evacuated from Israel.
As fighting in the Middle East continues, thousands of Americans are seeking to flee Israel.
Meanwhile, the U.S. embassy in Israel began evacuating a number of diplomats and family members who had asked to leave Israel.
President Donald Trump said Thursday he will decide within two weeks whether the U.S. military will get directly involved in the conflict between Israel and Iran given the “substantial chance” for renewed negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program.
Trump said he doesn’t want to carry out a U.S. strike on Iran but suggested he stands ready to act if it’s necessary to extinguish the country’s nuclear program.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he trusts that Trump will “do what’s best for America.”
Iran, however, has shown no signs of concession. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s ha refused Trump’s push for Iran to submit to an unconditional surrender.
Khamenei warned that any U.S. strikes targeting the Islamic Republic will “result in irreparable damage for them.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
