As the war between U.S. and Israeli forces against Iran continues to rattle the Middle East, locals with ties to the region are feeling the impact from the conflict.
Although the war started after the U.S. and Israeli militaries hit Iran, the threat of violence has spread across the region as Iran has struck back against Israel, U.S. forces and other countries. Earlier this week the State Department urged Americans in over a dozen countries in the Middle East to leave immediately.
That includes Israel, where Guy Ben-Aharon was born. Here in Massachusetts, he’s the founder of The Jar, a Boston nonprofit aimed at uniting people from different walks of life.
He has loved ones back in Israel who’ve had to shelter from missiles.
“I have two adorable nephews who are 8 and 10 years old who are sleeping in a bomb shelter,” he said. “And that’s not something I’d wish on anybody.”
He says a good friend from Tel Aviv had her apartment collapse after a missile struck a building on her street. She was in a shelter at the time.
“In a true turn of ... strange to say it — luck — but her 13-year-old cat survived,” he said. “But her life will be forever changed.”
For his part, Ben-Aharon is critical of the war. He says while he knows there are many conflicting interests at play, he believes acts of violence rarely bring about peace or freedom.
On the ground in Israel
Shira Ruderman, executive director of the Ruderman Family Foundation, lives in Boston but is originally from Israel, where she was when she spoke to GBH News on Wednesday.
She supports the war effort, and says seeing Israel and the U.S. stand side-by-side brings hope to many Israeli citizens.
But dealing with the situation on the ground is stressful, as travel has been made difficult, she said.
“I’m waiting for the airport to get reopened and for flights to be scheduled. The unknown reality is very uncomfortable,” she said. “You cannot plan, you don’t know to leave [or] not to leave. Do you get stuck, won’t get stuck? You feel bad if you leave, you feel bad if you’re not here. It’s a very uncomfortable situation.”
Impact on Yemen
Ahmed Mahmood is owner of Bab Al-Yemen, a Yemeni restaurant in Kenmore Square. He was born in the U.S. and has family who are in Yemen, one of the countries the State Department has urged Americans to leave.
He’s never seen the U.S. tell its citizens to leave so many countries in the region all at once.
“I know some friends and some family members who are trying to actually come back to the U.S. or travel somewhere and they are stranded. They cannot go anywhere because, you know, flight cancellations and the whole fluid situation,” he said.
Even before the latest round of hostilities, Yemen had been in a civil war that has yet to be resolved. And the added threat of the war with Iran further threatens efforts toward any sort of peace for Yemenis.
“People from Yemen sometimes, because of the conflict in Yemen, move to other neighboring countries,” Mahmood said. “Right now, you know, it’s like they cannot move anywhere. Even within the neighboring countries they cannot go anywhere. I mean, I have a friend who has his relatives in Qatar. And they’re not able to come back here to Boston just because of the war that’s going on and the airports that are being closed.”
He’s hoping for the war to end soon.
“This war touches everyone in this world,” Mahmood said. “Whether economically, whether you can’t even fly anywhere or you cannot fly to certain areas. So definitely would pray for this to end. We don’t want to hear about people being killed, children being killed, whoever. We don’t want anyone to be killed. We just want a stable place, live peacefully, prosper.”
