Martina Jaureguy Argentine deputies Damián Arabia and Maximiliano Ferraro, as well as journalist Diana Zurco, remain stranded in Tel Aviv amid the conflict that broke out between Israel and Iran. Arabia (PRO) told the Herald they are all well and that, while the situation is distressing, he feels calm and safe.
“I trust the Israeli’s defense forces and the alert system. It’s still shocking, it causes a lot of anxiety, and uncertainty about when we will be able to return home.”
The three arrived in Tel Aviv on Thursday invited by the Israeli Embassy in Argentina to take part in activities ahead of the 2025 Tel Aviv Pride March, initially scheduled for Friday. It would have been the first Pride march in the city since 2023. Their flight back to Buenos Aires was initially scheduled for June 19. With all airports closed, however, it’s still unclear when they will be able to return.
On Friday, Israel launched a drone bombing against nuclear facilities, military compounds and residential areas in Iran. Teherán responded by bombing Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Over 80 people have been killed in Iran, according to the local press. The Israeli Embassy in Argentina has reported three victims in that country.
The situation in Tel Aviv
Arabia, Ferraro (Coalición Cívica), and Zurco are all staying in a hotel provided by the embassy along with three other Argentines. Every time they receive an attack warning on their phones, they have to take refuge in the hotel’s underground shelter. The first alarm was on Friday at 2:57 a.m., local time, when Iran began bombing.
Arabia told the Herald that they’ve recevied seven warnings so far since arriving in Tel Aviv. “The bombings began shortly after we landed. Last night was rough, we had alarms at 1, 3 and 5 a.m. with over 300 missiles,” he said.
He also described having difficulty sleeping because of the warnings they get in the middle of the night and the sounds of Israeli military planes. “I sleep with my sneakers on so I can leave faster,” he explained. Arabia added that one of the missiles fell “less than 600 meters” from where they are staying. “The blast was really loud, it felt really close.”
The PRO deputy said that President Javier Milei, Presidency Secretary Karina Milei, and Security Minister Patricia Bullrich have called him and are in touch to see how he is doing.
Ferraro also told the Herald that diplomatic officials from the Argentine Embassy in Tel Aviv and the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires are in constant communication. Israeli embassy officials were accompanying them in the hotel on Saturday afternoon, local time.
“This is a delicate moment,” Ferraro said. “I feel fine, but at times there are moments with a lot of intranquility, and some distress, uncertainty and concern.”
Zurco called the situation “very difficult” in an Instagram post published early Saturday. “We are under constant extreme alerts, taking shelter in the building,” she wrote.
Security measures in Argentina
On Friday, Israel ordered the temporary closure of all its embassies, including in Argentina. The Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires emphasized that its closure was part of a global decision by the Israeli foreign ministry, and that emergency consular phone lines would continue to operate.
President Milei also visited Israel this week as a part of an international trip, but left on Thursday to Madrid, before the bombing began. He is scheduled to return to Argentina on Saturday. Israeli Ambassador in Argentina Eyal Sela traveled to Israel for Milei’s visit and remained there because air travel has been interrupted by the conflict.
During his trip to Israel, Milei said that Argentina would move its embassy to West Jerusalem in 2026. Jerusalem is home to holy sites of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, and is claimed by both Palestine and Israel.
Israel is also carrying out a military campaign in the Gaza Strip, which to date has killed over 55,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The attack followed Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, when the Palestinian militant group killed 1,200 and kidnapped 251 others.
