🔴 Website 👉 https://u-s-news.com/
Telegram 👉 https://t.me/usnewscom_channel
OAN Staff Chloe Hauxwell and Sophia Flores
10:08 AM – Friday, June 20, 2025
Florida has brought a group of Americans home from Israel in what Governor Ron DeSantis described as a ‘rescue mission,’ amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
DeSantis (R-Fla.) greeted the flight early on Friday morning.
Around 1,500 people, including college-aged students on a birthright trip, began the journey to Tampa on Thursday. Birthright is a free 10-day educational trip to Israel for young Jewish adults between the ages of 18 and 26. It is designed to strengthen their connection to Jewish heritage and culture.
The group first boarded a cruise ship to Cyprus, escorted by the Israeli Navy.
From there, the young adults boarded four planes destined for the Sunshine State.
DeSantis coordinated similar flights after the October 7th Hamas terror attacks.
He says Florida does not pass the buck.
“This is not something that is easy to do, there’s logistical challenges,” DeSantis explained. “It was not an easy voyage for these folks because they’re having to get on a cruise ship, then they’re having to wait in Cyprus, and then all the things to go in between that it was difficult. It’s not as simple as just getting on a flight in Tampa and flying to Chicago, right?”
The State Department is also working to evacuate non-essential diplomats and their families as violence in the region escalates.
Florida has the third-highest Jewish population in the United States, with an estimated 650,000 Jewish residents. It only falls short to New York and California.
Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts