PHOENIX, Ariz. – The escalating conflict and widespread closure of airspace have prompted the U.S. State Department to strongly advise American citizens to leave the Middle East immediately. However, the situation is complicated by challenges such as attacks from Iran, the closure of U.S. embassies, and restricted air travel options, leaving many stranded with limited means of evacuation.

One such individual is Shanice Day, who found herself among the thousands of Americans caught in the Middle East when the conflict erupted. Day, accompanied by her best friend, had traveled to Dubai for her 30th birthday celebration.

“We had an amazing desert day,” Day recounted. “Everyone started calling me their ‘habibi,’ and I even got to handle a falcon.”

As airspace closures came into effect, the number of flights departing the region dwindled, with only a few operating as conditions permitted.

Shanice Day’s experience highlights the plight of many Americans who found themselves stranded after tensions with Iran escalated. As flights became scarce due to safety concerns, options for leaving the region were severely limited.

Day only had a few days of vacation, before the U.S. and Israel struck Iran on February 28. Even though the airstrikes began that Saturday morning, Day didn’t realize there was an issue until that afternoon. By the time Day realized what had happened, Iran was already sending missiles towards the Gulf.

“As soon as I got open my phone, it says like ‘U.S., Israel strikes Iran.’ So, I told my friend that’s back at the hotel, and she’s at the beach at the moment. So, I’m actually like, ‘Hey, have you seen what’s going on?” Day recounted, “She explains that she sees like a missile, almost go across the sky.”

Iran responded to the American and Israeli attacks almost immediately, raining missile and drone strikes across the United Arab Emirates, even hitting Dubai International Airport, one of the busiest in the world. With their return flights canceled as the UAE closed its airspace, Day and her friend scrambled to find a way home while also trying to process the seriousness of the situation.

“We just kind of cried. That first 48 hours was so tough for us. Just having to break the news to our parents, because it was so early here. To hear my friend’s mom be so devastated, and then to hear my own mom’s voice crack like that. I would not wish this on anyone,” Day said.

Emirati airspace would continue to open intermittently to limited flights, but every rebooked flight would eventually get canceled. Day and her friend eventually made it home to Houston, Texas, by first flying to Australia.

Unlike the UAE, which has long marked itself as a safe oasis for foreigners, travel to Israel has always brought the possibility of conflict.

Jenna Fonberg and Jetlyn Toledo landed at Ben Gurion Airport the day before Israel and the U.S. hit Iran. The friends had planned to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Purim with Fonberg’s older brother, Blake, who lives in Tel Aviv. 

By the time Fonberg and Toledo landed in Israel, there were already talks of a conflict breaking out in the region.

Jenna Fonberg and Jetlyn Toledo landed in Israel the day before the U.S. operation against Iran began. Since the threat of attack is a constant presence in the country, Toledo and Fonberg said they didn’t want to live in fear. (Courtesy of Blake Fonberg)

“The thing about Israel is there’s always talk about war breaking out or always talk about conflict. So, if you cancel every single trip based on, I guess rumors of violence coming, you would essentially never come,” Toledo said.

The next day, the trio woke up to sirens telling them to get to the nearest bomb shelter. They said, overtime, they made friends with the familiar faces who repeatedly showed up to the same shelters.

“There’s a lot of new faces today, because it’s kind of close to the beach, so a lot of people just walking on the boardwalk run in here,” Fonberg said while taking cover during a missile threat.

Blake said he lost his home to a strike during a 12-day conflict with Iran in 2025. He said this time, he’s focusing on staying positive.

“We have to stay positive. If we are not positive, we lose. And, I think I really tried to instill that into them [Fonberg and Toledo] day one. I was like, ‘Everything’s going to be fine,’” Blake said.

Throughout the sirens and strikes, the trio said they kept faith that both the U.S. and Israel’s militaries would keep them safe. They said it was most important to stay calm through it all.

Fonberg and Toledo looked at options to leave the country, but with Israeli airspace completely closed at the start of the conflict, they were left with few options. Instead of driving to another country with open airspace, they chose to wait to see if the skies would open in time for their scheduled flight on March 8.

“I feel safer being by a bomb shelter and being able to run in if I need it. Rather than driving 3 hours, 5 hours to Jordan or Egypt and just covering my head if I hear a siren,” Fonberg said.

Israeli airspace slowly began opening on March 4. Fonberg and Toledo returned to the U.S. on their originally scheduled flights.

Ben Suster and his wife were at the end of their honeymoon in Israel when the U.S. and Israel struck Iran. Similar to Fonberg and Toledo, the newlyweds knew there was a possibility of conflict but felt safe in Israel. Suster and his wife landed in the country days before the strikes began.

“Our flight was for Saturday night. We woke up Saturday morning, and literally we had a minute of peace, and we thought, ‘Oh my goodness,’ like we made it through the night, like we’re in the clear and our flights should be good tonight,” Suster said.

The first sirens began moments later.

Without a bomb shelter inside their Airbnb, the couple made a home out of a nearby public shelter.

Ben Suster and his wife spend days living in a bomb shelter in Tel Aviv before moving to a family home with a shelter. (Courtesy of Ben Suster)

“Obviously, sitting in a gloomy garage was not how we expected to end our honeymoon,” Suster said.

They stayed in the garage full-time, before meeting up with friends in another shelter.

“We spent the entire day and night in this garage, making friends, you know, Israelis making the most of the situation,” Suster said.

After a few days, Suster and his wife left Tel Aviv to join their family in Geva Binyamin, an Israeli settlement in the West Bank near Jerusalem. The couple eventually evacuated with the non-profit Grey Bull Rescue. For security reasons, Suster could not share details about the operation. 

“We don’t even know what tomorrow’s going to look like. We were told what the final destination would be, but when that happens, how we’re getting there, not a clue,” Suster said.

Similar to Fonberg and Toledo, Suster said he felt safe and was sad to leave. He only left because they were on a time crunch, getting home to Florida in time for his sister’s wedding.

According to the State Department, more than 32,000 Americans have returned to the United States since the U.S. strikes on Iran began on February 28.