Sirens blare in Tel Aviv as Iran retaliates
chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst reports an ‘incredibly powerful explosion’ as Iran continues its ballistic fire against Israel, saying an Israeli official confirmed 40 top Iranian leaders were also killed.
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Former NCAA and Team USA women’s basketball player Destiny Littleton shared footage Saturday of her experience fleeing Iranian counterstrikes in Israel.
Her documentation concluded with a panicked scene of her and other civilians shouting in fear as drones flew overhead. Littleton, who won a national championship at South Carolina under coach Dawn Staley in 2022, and a gold medal for the U.S. in the 2017 FIBA 3×3 U18 World Cup, currently plays for Hapoel Jerusalem in Israel’s top division.
She posted footage on her Instagram Saturday updating followers as she fled to a local bomb shelter when Iranian counterattacks began to strike Israel.
After the U.S. and Israel carried out a round of military strikes on Iran, the country responded with ballistic missiles and drones targeting cities including Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Jerusalem.
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Former South Carolina guard Destiny Littleton was in Israel when Iran launched a counterattack against the country, sending her scrambling for shelter. (John Byrum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Littleton was nearly caught in the crossfire.
Sirens could be heard in her video as she fled the shelter, and at one point she even aimed her camera at what appeared to be missiles flying through the air.
In one video, she struggled to find the shelter as sirens blared in the background.
“Trying to find the saferoom, but I can’t find it,” she said, in a panicked voice as she scrambled through an empty alleyway. “Jesus Christ, I don’t think this is the right… I don’t think this is the right way.”
As she walked down an outdoor stone staircase, bombs exploding in the distance could be heard in the background, as she yelled, “Oh s—!”
Shortly after that, she posted a video announcing she had left the shelter and was going to a teammate’s house after feeling “uncomfortable” in the shelter she had just found.
“That B-O-M-B shelter I was just in, couldn’t fit five people, and that was it, I was like, ‘no, no, no, no,'” she said.
Littleton eventually reached her teammate’s high-rise apartment building, where she revealed she had heard several recent explosions.
“I heard the booms all over,” she said while showing an overview of the Jerusalem skyline.
An explosion caused by a projectile impact after Iran launched missiles into Israel following Israel and the U.S. launched strikes on Iran, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday. (Reuters/Gideon Markowicz)
Then, in her final video of the night, Littleton appeared frantic and sweaty, as she revealed explosions nearby.
“There’s no siren going on right now, and yet there’s these things in the sky blowing up! I’m pretty sure they’re either missiles or drones! Either way, we’ve seen them blow up in the sky, multiple of them, very very close to us actually!” she exclaimed.
“I’m not really sure what it is… Jesus Christ.”
Littleton and those around her then became more frantic as another apparent drones appeared nearby.
“Over there! Over there! Over there! Over there! Over there!” she shouted, before turning her camera around to show what appeared to be a drone flying nearby the building she was in. “I’m pretty sure that’s not a star.”
Just then, five other drones came into frame, and an explosion was seen going off in the distance.
“I think those are freaking drones bro!”
The entire room then erupted into a loud panic as a drone flew over the building they were in, as she turned the camera upwards to reveal the weapons.
“Oh s—!” Littleton shouted.
Another civilian nearby screamed, “Guys! Guys! What the f—!”
ISRAEL LAUNCHES PREEMPTIVE STRIKE AGAINST IRAN, DEFENSE MINISTER SAYS
Israeli firefighters work to put out a fire on a car at the site of a projectile impact after Iran launched missiles into Israel, following Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iran, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday. (Reuters/Tomer Appelbaum)
The drone went on to land and exploded a far distance from her location, as seen in her footage.
Littleton and the group were later seen in the footage leaving the apartment and heading to a bunker, as she appeared visibly rattled, sweaty and overwhelmed, massaging her head, sighing.
Littleton has not posted a follow-up post at the time of publication.
Staley said Saturday that the university is working to bring Littleton and two other players home amid the chaos, alongside WNBA veteran Tiffany Mitchell and former Phoenix Mercury forward Mikiah Herbert Harrigan.
“Please pray for our @GamecockWBB @TiffMitch25 @2121Mikiah @dstnylttltn24 who are in a war zone in Israel,” her post said. “We are working on a plan to get home. Let us pray for our loved ones to return home safely asap! Thank you in advance.”
The U.S. joined Israel in launching strikes against Iran on Saturday morning. In video remarks posted to Truth Social, Trump encouraged the Iranian people to take over their government once the United States and Israel finished “major combat operations” in Iran.
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Iran launched retaliatory missile strikes targeting U.S. sites throughout the Middle East. reported that approximately 40 missiles had landed in Israel.
Digital’s Paulina Dedaj, Michael Sinkewicz and Rachel Wolf contributed to this report.
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