The remains of six U.S. service members killed in a drone strike in Kuwait were returned home Saturday, more than a week after the United States and Israel launched a coordinated attack on Iran aimed at crippling its nuclear program and forcing regime change.
Iran has responded with retaliatory strikes on U.S. military bases, Israeli targets and sites across the Middle East. As the Iranian president called for peace Saturday, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that violence could escalate, writing in part: “IRAN WILL BE HIT VERY HARD!”
With Iran’s supreme leader killed in the strikes, uncertainty remains about what comes next for the country and who will take control.
The widening regional conflict has also affected Americans abroad, including dozens from the Tampa Bay area who found themselves caught in the middle of the crisis.
34 members of a St. Petersburg church group were stranded as regional airspace restrictions and escalating attacks complicated travel plans. The group, from GT Church Assembly of God, had been visiting Israel on a tour of the Holy Land when the conflict began last week.
“First time we’ve really felt safe since this thing began,” Pastor Randy Helms said after the group arrived in Athens on Saturday.
Members of the group said they heard air raid sirens in Israel during a water baptism as the war with Iran began. They later crossed into Jordan as part of an evacuation effort that ultimately brought them to Greece.
“Maneuvered us through that border. We didn’t have VISAs. We didn’t have anything. Just worked magic at the border, took us to Amman and for the next three days, we were in Amman,” Helms said.
Helms described the experience as an unexpected spiritual test.
“It’s out of your control. There is nothing you can do. You just have to trust and learn to trust. I’ll tell you something else. There was a strange calmness that settled in with our group,” he said.
The evacuation was coordinated by Grey Bull, a Tampa-based nonprofit that specializes in rescuing Americans from crisis zones. The organization moved the group from Israel to Jordan and eventually to Greece.
Founder and chairman Bryan Stern said the situation across the Middle East presents unique challenges compared with other emergencies.
“They tend to be very localized. This conflict is regional. There are a dozen or so countries that are having problems all over the place,” Stern said.
Stern estimated that 80,000 to 90,000 Americans across the region either need or want assistance leaving as the conflict escalates.
“We’re entirely donor funded. We don’t get a thank you note from the government let alone a dollar. So, doing operations of this scale is very difficult in the backdrop of air raid sirens which are going off right now as we speak,” Stern said.
Grey Bull teams vet rescue operations in advance to prioritize those in the greatest danger, Stern said.
For the church group, the journey has been both frightening and faith-affirming.
“We just praise the Lord that he sustained us, protected us and Lord willing, we’re coming back home,” Helms said.
The group is expected to remain in Greece for a day or two before returning to Florida hopefully by mid-week. Helms said they will be reunited with their congregation by next Sunday for a joyous celebration.
If you’d like to donate to Grey Bull, head to the nonprofit’s website.