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.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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