UTEP alum Otis Frazier shares his experience in Israel amid U.S./Israel-Iran tensions

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA)- ABC-7 has an exclusive interview with former UTEP basketball player, Otis Frazier, who is in Israel while the U.S. and Israel launched military strikes on Iran early Saturday morning.

Frazier explains that he's been in Israel for 8 months playing basketball in the Israeli Basketball Premier League also called the Winner Ligat League.

When asked about when he first heard of potential strikes, Frazier says organizers with the League were attempting to evacuate Frazier and others to Serbia around 10 p.m., just hours before the U.S. and Israel launched their strikes onto Iran.

Once the strikes were launched, Iran launched retaliatory strikes which prompted Israel's air raid sirens to go off and Frazier says they have been going off since 7 a.m. and have been going off frequently.

"This isn't the first I've heard the sirens," Frazier says after acknowledging the conflict between Israel and Iran in recent months. "I can actually visually see the missiles and the stuff outside, when I hear the sirens its a different feeling."

Frazier goes on to explain that he and others sheltered in place in a bunker when instructed, which he says the apartment he is staying in has one on every floor.

Frazier told ABC-7 that he talked to his mom and his girlfriend, while praying and hoping nothing went wrong.

The atmosphere around Israel, according to Frazier, changed over the progression of the attacks from normal life to only going out unless absolutely necessary.

Frazier says that he, like many others, has to prepare to be in the bunker and must wait out the situation before being able to leave Israel.