Northeast Ohio man visiting Israel caught video of intercepted missile attack
CHESTERLAND, Ohio (WJW) – What began as a joyous family celebration quickly turned into a surreal experience for Alex Freylekhman of Chesterland and his loved ones.
Freylekhman traveled to Tel Aviv in Israel for a wedding, joining relatives who traveled from Cleveland to celebrate. But during the festivities, Freylekhman captured a missile attack on camera.
'Everyone was dancing and celebrating, and I raised my phone — that's when I saw a rocket being intercepted,' said Freylekhman.
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Missiles lit up the skies above Tel Aviv, prompting alerts.
'In Tel Aviv, the alert sounds are just like AMBER Alerts in the U.S. — your phone, your watch, everything goes off at once,' Freylekhman said. 'It's a 20-minute warning to get to shelter.'
The Freylekhman family — including Alex, his wife, and their two teenage children — endured repeated missile warnings while sheltering.
'The alerts went off at least four times a night,' he said. 'Sometimes just 20 minutes apart.'
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With airports shut down and commercial flights grounded, the family faced an urgent question: 'How do we get out of here?'
Last week, they managed to reach Jerusalem by land. Their goal: safe passage into Jordan by Wednesday and hopefully an international flight back to Cleveland by Thursday.
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