An affluent couple from Las Vegas found themselves in a harrowing situation after being stranded in Israel amid escalating tensions in the Middle East. Their unexpected ordeal led them on a desperate escape through the desert.
Todd and Lisa Eggleston had arrived in Israel just two days before joint military actions by the US and Israel against Iran commenced. Initially there to explore biblical history, their trip took a dramatic turn when Iran launched retaliatory airstrikes against Israel, leaving them effectively trapped in the conflict zone.
Facing the uncertainty of the situation and without assistance from the US government, the Egglestons made the critical decision to cross the Israeli border into Egypt, aiming to catch a flight home from there on March 7. Their journey was fraught with challenges, including stretches of isolated roads and loss of cellphone service while navigating through the desert.
Todd recounted a tense moment at the Israeli border when an officer inquired, “Do you have a weapon for your protection?” His account of the experience was shared in an interview with 8NewsNow, highlighting the gravity of their situation.
They were completely alone on the road at times and lost cellphone service while traversing the desert.
‘We get up to the border on the Israeli side and the guy looks at me and says, ‘Do you have a weapon for your protection?’ Todd, 62, told 8NewsNow.
His wife Lisa, 51, added that she was ‘nervous not knowing about the stability of a part of Egypt’ and said aggressive cab drivers followed the couple on their way to the airport.
‘I was prepared to not stand out,’ Lisa said. ‘I was doing everything in my power not to look American.’
Todd and Lisa Eggleston traveled to Israel just two days before war in the Middle East broke out and were left stranded without a way to return home to Las Vegas
Lisa, pictured in a bomb shelter, said that the constant alarms during her time in Israel were ‘terrifying’
Lisa said the unexpected journey through the desert made her feel like she ‘had to be ready to run.’
‘Your body is literally in fight or flight mode,’ she added.
On February 28, when the war began, Todd said on social media that this had been the ‘craziest trip’ he and his wife had ever been on.
‘Sitting at 4:50AM looking out this window, the missile strikes have stopped for a few hours.,’ he wrote from Tel Aviv.
Todd said Lisa was finally able to get some sleep, but had to do so with her clothes on in case they needed to take shelter.
‘I was just thinking, when’s the last time you looked out the windows in your house and saw missiles being shot out of the sky?’ he added. ‘We are very lucky to have been born in the United States of America!’
He expressed the desire to ‘get out of here as soon as we can,’ not knowing that it would be days before that could happen.
The Egglestons live in Las Vegas at a single family home worth about $1million.
The Egglestons were able to return to the United States after taking a flight home from Athens, Greece. They are pictured here in the Greek capital
On the day the war broke out, Todd shared a photo of Tel Aviv and said he wanted to ‘get out of here as soon as we can’
Lisa described the experience in Israel during the war as ‘terrifying,’ with constant alarms.
‘When that real siren goes off, you only have a minute and a half,’ she told 8NewsNow. ‘Whatever is headed your direction, a drone, a missile, whatever it is, you have to get into your shelter.’
Todd compared the sound of Israel’s Iron Dome defense system fighting back against Iranian airstrikes to loud fireworks.
‘Imagine that times 200 or 300, a bomb over your head, and you are in a concrete shelter, and you are feeling that in your chest,’ he said.
On March 7, Todd shared an update from Athens, Greece, saying they had been quiet for more than 24 hours ‘executing a plan we put together to get out of Israel.’
He added: ‘I will say we had no help from anyone or the government.’
‘With that said I also know it’s not the government job [sic] to rescue us, but many people don’t have the means to make things happen to get out,’ he added. ‘They are on fixed incomes with x amount of money for vacation.’
Todd said the trip to Israel made him think about how lucky he was to have been born in the US, where he is not under the threat of missile strikes
The Egglestons returned to their home in Las Vegas after eventually catching a flight on March 7 from Athens, Greece
Lisa said that she was ‘enjoying’ the trip to Israel before it was ‘interrupted,’ sharing a photo of what appeared to be a desert with camels
The Egglestons caught an evacuation flight that the Israeli Tourism Board helped coordinate.
They claimed they had been unable to reach the US Department of State hotline assisting Americans trying to leave Israel for days.
Israel’s Ministry of Tourism told the Daily Mail that it ‘assists by providing information only.’
Todd said he would ‘never recommend’ the journey through Egypt, especially for those traveling with their wives or children. The couple did not reveal their precise location for safety reasons.
They flew from Egypt to Athens before landing back stateside on March 8.
The Egglestons had originally booked a Delta flight out of Israel for next week, which was the earliest available.
On Monday, Todd shared an update from his ranch in Utah while admiring the much more serene views.
‘Beautiful day,’ he wrote. ‘The best part is there no missiles [sic] flying around in the sky.’
A spokesperson for the the US Department of State told the Daily Mail on Thursday evening that their task force team reached out to the Egglestons on March 6 and followed up one day later.
The department does not have a response recorded and later received separate confirmation of the couple’s return to the US.
More than 70,000 Americans have returned safely from the Middle East since February 28, the State Department spokesperson added.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the Egglestons for further comment.
