Evacuees from Israel and stranded Israelis find shelter and kosher meals in Cyprus

LARNACA, Cyprus (AP) — Carrie Best-Lary was among hundreds of Jews who had traveled to Israel on a trip that was supposed to be about culture and Jewish roots, only to find herself fleeing on a cruise ship to Cyprus. She is in one of two groups that have converged on the Mediterranean island — one leaving Israel and the other trying to get back in.

At a scary time, the two groups that never expected their paths to cross are coming together, seeking shelter and sharing kosher meals.

Cyprus has become a transit point for those being evacuated from Israel or Israelis wishing to return home after being stranded abroad, with thousands now in Cyprus trying to reach Israel.

Best-Lary, from Weston, Florida, arrived in Cyprus on Wednesday from the Israeli port of Ashdod, escaping barrages of Iranian missiles raining down on Israeli cities in retaliation for Israel’s strikes on Iran's nuclear program and top military leaders.

Like Best-Lary, the Jewish emigrees — many from the United States — were on the subsidized, 10-day journey through Israel, sponsored by the Birthright Israel Foundation, to reconnect with their Jewish identity by soaking up Israel’s history and culture.

What was supposed to be a journey of cultural immersion instead put them in the front row of a deadly conflict. Now all she wants is to get home in time to celebrate her 50th birthday with her family.

“We saw explosions ... we saw missiles," she told The Associated Press. “We heard sirens. ... we went to (the) shelter the minute we got that notification. It’s a very scary time.”

With their flights uncertain amid so many delays and air space closures over the conflict region, Best-Lary and other Birthright travelers crowded Larnaca’s Jewish Community Center for a kosher meal, a bathroom break and to recharge mobile phones as they waited for news.

Slicing mushrooms at the center was Yossi Levitan, 44, from the town of Ramla, 30 kilometers (19 miles) south of the Israeli city of Tel Aviv.

He is one of thousands stranded in Cyprus, where he visited his brother, and is now hoping to travel the other way — home to Israel, about 470 kilometers (292 miles) across the Mediterranean Sea.

There are about 6,500 people at the moment in Cyprus trying to reach Israel, a number that soared from the 2,400 passengers who were aboard Israel-bound flights that got stranded in Cyprus after their aircraft were abruptly diverted here since last Friday, to avoid the deadly Israel-Iran exchanges.

If no flight takes off, maybe a chartered boat could take them home, he hopes. Levitan is eager to see his eight children and first grandchild — his 18-year-old daughter recently gave birth.

“We’re waiting,” he said. "In the meantime, we here are helping however we can all the people who are stuck.”

When at least 10 Israel-bound passenger planes were diverted to Cyprus’ main airport in Larnaca on Friday, Rabbi Arie Zeev Raskin, the Jewish faith's leader in Cyprus, sprung into action.

He got the island’s 14 rabbis to find accommodation for everyone — a challenge at the height of the tourist season. The kosher meals were handled by the community center, or Chabad, he said.

As days went by, with the conflict now in its sixth day, the needs multiplied.

“New flights have started to arrive from Hungary, from Rome, from Georgia, from New York, all people who are on the way ended up here,” Raskin said. Locals have provided shelter while doctors have treated travelers in need, he added.

The hope is that with Cyprus being the closest European neighbor of Israel, once the flights resume, they would quickly get home.

Israel has tried to help the stranded and those with priority needs first. Raskin said an El Al plane left Wednesday from Larnaka with two mothers with special needs children onboard. A short flight later it landed at Ben Gurion airport.

"Anyone ... in urgent need would get a priority to go on the flight,” he said.

Raskin pulled strings and secured a seat on the same flight for a groom whose wedding was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon in Israel. He later got a message that the young man was able to get to his own wedding in time.

Arranging boats or yachts for the 20-hour trip to Israel is tougher, and Raskin said many sea voyages have been canceled at the last minute.

Cyprus has become "a door to Israel" but Raskin advises Israelis stranded elsewhere not to come hoping to get “closer” to Israel.

“We don’t have enough rooms, we don’t enough beds,” he says. “When things get better, you will be welcome."

The cruise ship which transported evacuees from Israel is docked at the port of Larnaca, Cyprus, Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

Evacuees from Israel arrive at the port of Larnaca, Cyprus, Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

Evacuees from Israel eat food at a Jews community center after they arrived from Israel with a ship, at the port of Larnaca, Cyprus, Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

Luggage of evacuees from Israel are seen outside of a Jews community center, after their arrival from Israel to the port of Larnaca, Cyprus, Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

Evacuees from Israel arrive at the port of Larnaca, Cyprus, Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

An aircraft belonging to Israeli airlines El Al sit parked in the tarmac of Cyprus' main airport in Larnaca, Saturday, June 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

Tiger Woods expressed astonishment as he was handcuffed after crashing his SUV last week in Florida, according to body camera footage released Thursday that also shows deputies removing two pills from Woods' pocket.

Separate footage from the back of the patrol car shows the handcuffed golfer hiccuping, yawning and repeatedly appearing to nod off during the 15-minute ride.

Woods told authorities he was looking at his phone and changing the radio station when his speeding Land Rover clipped the back of a truck and rolled onto its side on a residential road on Jupiter Island. No one was injured in the March 27 afternoon crash.

“I looked down at my phone, and all of a sudden — boom,” Woods told an officer as he knelt on a lawn, prior to his arrest.

Bodycam footage shows Martin County Sheriff’s Deputy Tatiana Levenar then conducting a roadside sobriety test and telling Woods: “I do believe your normal faculties are impaired, and you’re under an unknown substance, so at this time you’re under arrest for DUI."

“I’m being arrested?” Woods responded.

“Yes sir,” Levenar said.

After handcuffing Woods, authorities searched his pockets and found two white pills.

“That’s a Norco,” Woods said after an officer pulled out the pills, referring to a painkiller that contains acetaminophen and the opioid hydrocodone. Authorities would later confirm that Woods was in possession of hydrocodone.

In the bodycam footage, Woods told Levenar that he had not drunk any alcohol and that he had taken “a few” medications earlier in the day, though Woods’ words are muted in the released video as he describes some of the drugs.

At the sheriff’s office complex, after Woods was escorted into the “DUI room” where drivers are tested for being under the influence, Woods said, “I’m not drunk. I’m on a prescription medication,” according to a supplemental sheriff’s office report released Thursday.

Woods, 50, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to suspicion of driving under the influence. He posted a statement Tuesday night saying that he was stepping away indefinitely “to seek treatment and focus on my health.”

During the field sobriety test, deputies noticed Woods limping and that he had a compression sock over his right knee. Woods explained he had undergone seven back surgeries and over 20 surgeries on his right leg, and that his ankle seizes up while walking.

Woods, who was hiccuping during questioning, continuously moved his head during one of the sobriety tests and deputies had to tell him several times to keep his head straight, an arrest report said.

“Based on my observations of Woods, how he performed the exercises and based on my training, knowledge, and experience, I believed that Woods normal faculties were impaired, and he was unable to safely operate the motor vehicle,” Levenar wrote.

Woods is the most influential figure in golf and has become as recognizable as any athlete in the world. The first person of Black heritage to win the Masters in 1997, he has captivated golf fans with records likely never to be broken.

But his injuries have kept him from accomplishing more, including those suffered in a 2021 Los Angeles car crash that damaged his right leg so badly he said doctors considered amputation. He has not played an official event since the 2024 British Open. He was recovering from a seventh back surgery in October and was trying to return at the Masters, where he is a five-time champion.

Following last week's crash, Woods agreed to a Breathalyzer test that showed no signs of alcohol, but he refused a urine test, authorities said. He was arrested and released on bail eight hours later.

Under a change to Florida law last year, refusing an officer’s request to take a breath, blood or urine test became a misdemeanor, even for a first offense.

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Associated Press writer Mike Schneider in Orlando, Florida, contributed to this report.

In this image taken from police body camera video released by the Martin County, Fla., Sheriff's Office, golfer Tiger Woods performs a field sobriety test for sheriff's deputies following a car crash in Jupiter Island, Fla., Friday, March 27, 2026. (Martin County Sheriff's Office via AP)

Golfer Tiger Woods stands by his overturned vehicle in Jupiter Island, Fla., on Friday, March 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Jason Oteri)

In this image taken from police body camera video released by the Martin County, Fla., Sheriff's Office, golfer Tiger Woods speaks with sheriff's deputies following a car crash in Jupiter Island, Fla., Friday, March 27, 2026. (Martin County Sheriff's Office via AP)

In this image taken from police body camera video released by the Martin County, Fla., Sheriff's Office, sheriff's deputies holds two pills from a search of golfer Tiger Woods' pants following a car crash in Jupiter Island, Fla., Friday, March 27, 2026. (Martin County Sheriff's Department via AP)

In this image taken from police body camera video released by the Martin County, Fla., Sheriff's Office, golfer Tiger Woods is taken into custody by sheriff's deputies following a car crash in Jupiter Island, Fla., Friday, March 27, 2026. (Martin County Sheriff's Office via AP)

In this image taken from police body camera video released by the Martin County, Fla., Sheriff's Office, golfer Tiger Woods performs a field sobriety test for sheriff's deputies following a car crash in Jupiter Island, Fla., Friday, March 27, 2026. (Martin County Sheriff's Office via AP)

The Martin County Sheriff's Office welcome sign is displayed outside Friday, March 27, 2026 (AP Photo/Jim Rassol)

This handout photo provided by the Martin County Sheriff's Office shows Tiger Woods, in Stuart, Fla., Friday, March 27, 2026. (Martin County Sheriff's Office via AP)

Tiger Woods leaves the Martin County Sheriff's Office jail facility following his involvement in a car crash where he was arrested on a DUI charge on Friday, March 27, 2026 (AP Photo/Jim Rassol)

FILE- Golfer Tiger Woods stands by his overturned vehicle in Jupiter Island, Fla., March 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Jason Oteri, File)