CNN’s Scott Jennings on Being Stranded in Israel Amid War With Iran: “How Are We Going to Get Out of Here?”

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As a fervent admirer, I hadn’t anticipated the turmoil that my voyage to Israel would bring. Yet, CNN’s Scott Jennings, a seasoned political commentator with conservative leanings, found himself unwittingly embroiled in a conflict between Israel and Iran. This escalated unexpectedly when the Israeli Defense Forces executed a string of drone and fighter jet attacks on Tehran, resulting in the decimation of Iran’s military leadership, nuclear scientists, and key facilities.

47-year-old me embarked on a journey to explore this region for the very first time, visiting iconic cities such as Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, along with kibbutz Nir Oz, a place that tragically witnessed the loss of around one-quarter of its 400 residents in the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023. This journey also took me to the site where the Nova music festival massacre occurred, a heartbreaking reminder of the 378 lives lost there.

A few days back, we began receiving information that non-essential personnel were being instructed by the U.S. to depart from military bases and remain in their locations,” Jennings explains, hunkered down in a hotel in Tiberius, on the west bank of the Sea of Galilee. “Simultaneously, we learned that the U.S. was planning to hold talks with Iran over the weekend. This duality became apparent around 3:00 a.m. yesterday.

Jennings found himself wide awake, preparing for a live interview on CNN from a remote location, when his phone received an urgent message. “I stepped out onto the hotel balcony,” he recalls, “and even now, I can see a military aircraft passing over.

Initially, warnings started with “remain vigilant,” then moved to “keep close to safety,” and finally escalated to “move to a secure location.” On occasion, the sound of air raid sirens could be heard cutting through the early-morning atmosphere.

Prior to the war’s onset, Jennings had some previous experience under his belt. During dinner in Jerusalem, an alarm suddenly sounded, prompting hotel guests to be escorted to a bomb shelter located in the building’s basement. “It was a remarkably small space,” he recalls. “We managed to squeeze ourselves inside and waited. We waited approximately five minutes before returning upstairs to complete our meal.

On Friday night, while Iranian missiles fell on Israel, mostly being thwarted by the Iron Dome defense system, sirens blared across Tiberius and hotel visitors were led to a secure area for around thirty minutes. A hospital in the Tel Aviv region reported treating 15 civilian casualties due to the Iranian response.

According to Jennings, they declared that the missile attack had concluded. They possess exceptional insight into when missiles are launched and how far away they are, in terms of minutes.

Currently, Jennings is instructed to stay within his hotel as a precautionary measure in case they need to quickly move to a bomb shelter. At present, he’s relaxing on the hotel’s back terrace, enjoying the breathtaking view of the Sea of Galilee under a near-full moon. He remarks that the sight is simply stunning.

Jennings is uncertain about how long he’ll be staying at the hotel or when he’ll leave Israel because the airspace and airports are closed. He expresses that what they know the least about is figuring out a way to depart from here. They were originally scheduled to leave the following day, but it doesn’t seem likely now.

Was asked if he noticed Caitlyn Jenner’s presence in the country for Tel Aviv’s gay pride events, where both seemed to be stranded, Jennings responded, “I did see that she was here. It appeared as though the Daily Mail suggested we were together, giving the headline ‘Scott Jennings and Caitlyn Jenner Stranded in Israel.’

“We’re both stuck here,” he added with a chuckle. “But not together.”

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2025-06-14 00:54