CNN’s Scott Jennings Shares Tense Firsthand Account from Israel

As Iran and Israel trade missile fire in one of the most volatile military escalations in recent Middle East history, CNN commentator and conservative political strategist Scott Jennings is experiencing the crisis firsthand.

Jennings, who traveled to the country for a tour of key cities and sites tied to the October 7 Hamas attacks, has moved between hotels in northern Israel and the capital city of Jerusalem over the past few days — finding himself stranded amid closed airports, emergency alerts, and incoming fire. On Sunday afternoon, he posted the following tense dispatch on social media: “Sirens in Jerusalem now… hearing booms as we head to shelter.”

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Jennings expanded on the unfolding chaos around him. He told a reporter about how he’d been standing on his hotel balcony prepping for a CNN interview when the crisis unfolded. “In fact,” he told the reporter, “I’m looking at a military jet fly overhead right now.” As air raid sirens pierced the early morning air in Tiberius, on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, hotel staff ushered guests into designated safe zones. Just days earlier, Jennings had taken cover in a Jerusalem bomb shelter during dinner — a space that Jennings described as a tiny room, crammed with people.

CNN commentator, stranded in Israel

The situation rapidly intensified over the weekend. After an Israeli strike reportedly killed key Iranian military leaders and targeted nuclear scientists, Iran’s ballistic missile response triggered a new round of alerts and lockdowns.

Jennings told THR he was ordered not to leave his hotel and has no idea when he’ll be able to fly out. “Airspace is closed, airports are closed. The thing we know the least about is how are we going to get out of here.”

Even as he seeks shelter, meanwhile, Jennings has taken to X (formerly Twitter) with pointed commentary. In a tweet early Sunday morning US time, he laid out a hawkish case for a broader confrontation with Iran — one he believes that President Trump is positioned to deliver:

“Israel is on the brink of remaking the Middle East and ending the biggest sponsor of radical Islamic terrorism in the world. Trump’s strategic part in this move was brilliant.”

“Trump would be justified in taking out the Fordo nuclear enrichment facility. It would be a righteous decision. And if he does it, no question in my mind that he would deserve the Nobel Peace Prize.”

Calling it a “once-in-a-generation chance to make the world safer,” Jennings ended his post with a forceful call to action: “Bomb Fordo. Destroy the Iranian Octopus. Restore deterrence. Win the Nobel.”