Destiny Littleton Caught in Israel Amidst Rising US-Iran Tensions

Destiny Littleton, a former USC Trojans standout, recently embarked on an exciting new chapter in her career by signing with Hapoel Jerusalem in Israel’s premier basketball league. Her enthusiasm was palpable as she embraced the opportunity to compete at a high level on an international stage.

Despite being aware of the inherent risks of playing in a region marked by ongoing tensions, Littleton’s passion for basketball and her thorough research on the environment convinced her to take the leap. “I had an amazing year,” she shared with Fox News Digital. “I’ve opened a lot of doors for myself, which is definitely a plus. Playing the game I love while experiencing another country has been rewarding. Focusing on these positives helps maintain my sanity amidst the current situation.”

However, her basketball journey has taken an unexpected turn. Instead of focusing solely on the game, Littleton now finds herself chronicling the unfolding conflict between Israel, the US, and Iran. The escalation has transformed her surroundings into a battleground.

“This is my reality now. It’s a war zone,” she explained. “The routine involves waiting for alerts on your phone, hearing sirens, taking shelter, and waiting for the all-clear. It’s a repetitive cycle that you just have to keep going through.”

Through her social media, Littleton shares gripping footage of missiles streaking through the sky and detonating in proximity, capturing the chaos following the recent assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Her posts offer a visceral glimpse into the turmoil enveloping the region.

In posts on her social media account, Littleton is capturing video of missiles racing across the sky and exploding all around her as Iran retaliates following the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei over the weekend.

According to Littleton, the attacks started Saturday and have yet to stop.

“It’s very much an active war site,” she said in one video. “Just seeing that all last night, it just felt so close.”

In one clip that’s making its rounds throughout social media, Littleton recorded bright flashes above the city, flashes that were bright enough to light up the entire sky.

Follow The Post’s coverage of the United States’ airstrikes on Iran:

“There’s no siren going on right now, and yet there’s these things in the sky blowing up! I’m pretty sure they’re either missiles or drones! Either way, we’ve seen them blow up in the sky, multiple of them, very, very close to us actually!” she said in the video. 

Littleton has made it known in social media posts that due to the terrifying nature of the situation, she and other US citizens are attempting to return to the United Sates. However, the airspace is presently closed, which makes traveling nearly impossible.

“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.”

Littleton is far from alone while stuck in Israel, receiving support from multiple people, including her former college coach Dawn Staley. They won a national title together in 2022 at South Carolina, which was Littleton’s second of three colleges she played for throughout her career.

Littleton finished her prep career as the leading scorer in California state history, with 4,300 points. Her senior year at The Bishop’s School in San Diego culminated with her being named the 2017 California Gatorade Player of the Year, and she was also a consensus top-30 player in the nation.

She spent her first two years college at a Texas college before sitting out a season due to NCAA transfer rules. She joined South Carolina in 2020 playing two years for the Gamecocks, which resulted in the national title in 2022. She then came home to USC for her final season as a graduate transfer, starting in all 31 games, averaging 14.0 points, 3.7 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game.

Littleton is one of three American women’s basketball players playing professionally in Israel, along with current Seattle Storm guard Tiffany Mitchell and former Phoenix Mercury forward Mikiah Herbert.

Staley is taking the matter seriously as all three of the athletes played for her at South Carolina.

“We are working on a plan to get [them] home. Let us pray for our loved ones to return home safely asap!” Staley wrote on X. 

When asked about the support Staley has given her, Littleton didn’t hesitate to heap praise and gratitude on her former leader.

“She really cares about her babies. We’ll forever be her babies. And she’s trying to be there for us from 7,000 miles away,” Littleton said. “As the type of person she is, she is going to use her reach to make sure that we can get home as safe as possible. So it’s been a lot of checking in and making sure we’re okay.”

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