Relieved foreigners leave a tense Israel after truce with Iran

TEL AVIV - Foreign nationals leaving Israel on Tuesday voiced both relief for themselves and anxiety for family and friends staying behind as uncertainty hung over the country hours after a fragile ceasefire deal with Iran was announced.

As part of evacuation plans organised by their countries embassies, two large groups of Canadians and Australians gathered at a hotel in Tel Aviv, the former to board a bus to Jordan and the latter a flight to Dubai.

Now I know what being scared actually feels like. I dont think Ive known fear like this before, said Tamar Banon, 32, a dual citizen of Canada and Israel who lives in Montreal and was visiting family when the air war broke out on June 13.

A ceasefire was announced by U.S. President Donald Trump in the early hours of Tuesday, but the situation remained tense with Israel accusing Iran of violating it and threatening retaliation. Iran denied the violation.

Banon said she remained worried for her family and for Israel as a whole. I want them to have a good life without having to think about, you know, war and missiles and rockets.

Israel started the war with the stated aim of destroying Irans nuclear capabilities. Its strikes killed hundreds of Iranian civilians as well as some senior military commanders and nuclear scientists, while damaging uranium enrichment sites.

Iran retaliated with missiles that forced people in Israel to huddle in safe rooms and bomb shelters, often several times in a single night or day. The strikes killed 28 people and damaged hundreds of buildings.

The United States entered the war at the weekend, unleashing 30,000-pound bunker-busting bombs on fortified, underground Iranian nuclear installations.

INCREDIBLY GUILTY

Australian Mark Avraham, 40, had flown in from Sydney to visit family and friends and take part