Kentucky man makes it back home after being stranded in Israel amid conflict with Iran
A Kentucky man who was stranded in Jerusalem after fighting broke out between Israel and Iran last week has made it safely home.
Tommy Chamberlin landed in Chicago on Monday, he said in a Facebook post.
“It’s great to be home,” he wrote.
Chamberlin, of Pikeville, had asked for prayers last weekend, after his flight out of Israel scheduled for Saturday morning was canceled because of the conflict.
Early Saturday, as air raid sirens went off in Jerusalem amid a counter-attack by Iran, Chamberlin had taken shelter, saying in a message to a Herald-Leader reporter that “generally we feel very safe here, but this is a difficult, unexpected situation.”
Chamberlin said in a later message that he ended up crossing into Egypt before catching a flight back to the United States.
Before the fighting erupted, Chamberlin had been on an archaeological dig at Tel Shiloh, an ancient city north of Jerusalem that once served as a center for Israelite worship.
Chamberlin, who works as chief assistant Pike County attorney, said this was his sixth excavation experience in Israel.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Embassy said it would be closed from Wednesday through Friday, as the fighting continued. Government employees and their families were urged to shelter in place at their homes, CNN reported.
Meanwhile, United States President Donald Trump urged Iran to surrender and met with security advisers on Tuesday, as the Pentagon expedited deployment of an aircraft carrier and other military assets to the Middle East.
This story was originally published June 18, 2025 at 7:00 AM.
