U.S. exchange students in Israel moved to shelters during Iran attack
JERUSALEM (WABC) -- U.S. exchange students currently studying in Israel were huddled together on Sunday in the aftermath of Iran's first-ever attack on the country.
Those students -- roughly 90 from all over the country, including at least a dozen from the tri-state -- were studying at Alexander Muss High School in Central Israel.
The kids were moved at 2 a.m. to shelters out of precaution, despite there being no sirens in Hod HaSharon, according to Alexander Muss High School President Susan Sacks.
The kids stayed in the shelter for about 45 minutes, all went back to their beds and they were fine," Sacks said.
The students arrived in late January for the program, which began back in 1972 by the Jewish National Fund.
The school's campus is about a 30-minute drive from Tel Aviv.
You get off the plane and open your phone and you are like 'What did you think?'," added Sacks. "I said like every other Israeli, it will be fine, nothing will happen."
Iran ended up deploying hundreds of explosive drones and firing missiles and to their credit, Israel did intercept almost all. But that hasn't deterred the students from wanting to finish out the program.
They don't want to go anywhere," said Sacks.
Another group of students from the program were studying when the war between Israel and Hamas broke out on Oct. 7. They were sent home five days after the conflict started.
"We had to do that because all of our counselors were called up into reserve and many of our teachers and staff were called up into reserve," Sacks acknowledged.
The group currently at the school are supposed to come home on June 4th.
LIVE UPDATES | Josh Einiger in Israel
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