Aventura resident is back home after being stranded in Israel

An Aventura man returned home to South Florida on Saturday, March 7, after days of travel from Jerusalem following a U.S. government order for American citizens to leave the Middle East. The evacuation order came after the United States and Israel carried out a joint strike on Iran.

Scott Wayne, the Aventura resident, spoke with reporters last week — first while he was in Jerusalem as missiles struck near his hotel and again after he traveled about eight hours into Egypt while trying to make his way back to South Florida. Wayne arrived at Miami International Airport on Saturday afternoon.

“I’m feeling very overwhelmed. And I’m feeling really, really let down by the United States government,” Wayne said, adding that there were moments when he did not think he would make it home.

Wayne said he was stuck in his hotel in Jerusalem as Iran retaliated with missile strikes following the U.S. and Israeli attack. He said coordinating a way out of the war-torn region proved extremely difficult.

“I had some Americans who could not afford to get out. That they had to stay there, and it’s not fair. Trump is very worried about this war, but he’s not worried about the American citizens who are stuck over there,” Wayne said.

He eventually traveled from Jerusalem to the Egyptian border and then to Sharm el-Sheikh, a trip that took about eight hours. From there, he boarded a flight to Zurich, Switzerland, before catching a flight to Miami.

Wayne said he reached out many times to the U.S. State Department throughout his journey but was unable to get assistance. “There was no contact. There was no follow-through from the Trump administration. You just don’t leave U.S. citizens there out to dry, and that’s how I felt,” he said.

Although he is now safely back in South Florida, Wayne said he continues to think about others who remain in the Middle East. “This whole thing has spiraled out of control in the Middle East. And unless you’re physically there, you can’t understand the gravity and the fearfulness of the situation,” Wayne said.

The State Department said on March 5 that about 13,000 Americans had been directly assisted in leaving the region and nearly 24,000 Americans have returned since Feb. 28.

This report was produced by Miami Herald news partner CBS News Miami.