Sapphire saw the streaks and started to film them, before realising what they were
A UK holidaymaker was sitting by her villa pool when she saw bright orange streaks glowing in the sky – and realised when was seeing missiles from the ongoing war in the Middle East. Sapphire Beard-Griffith took out her phone to record the eerie sight when she realised she was capturing missiles heading straight to Israel from Iran.
The 20-year-old watched as the strikes unfolded before her eyes. She was holidaying in Paphos, Cyprus, when she captured the video. “We were at our villa, sitting by the pool with some drinks and crisps, just enjoying a quiet evening,” said Sapphire, from Colchester, Essex.
“I was with my partner, and he suddenly looked up at the sky with a really concerned expression. That’s when I turned to look and saw the missiles. The mood shifted instantly, from relaxed to tense, and we were both just stunned.
“It definitely changed the atmosphere. We still tried to enjoy the rest of the trip, but that moment stayed with us. It brought this uneasy sense of how quickly things can shift, even when you’re far from where the conflict is actually happening.”
It happened on June 15. Tensions between Israel and Iran escalated earlier this month (June) after Israel launched a major airstrike on Iranian nuclear and military facilities.
On June 13, Iran retaliated with a large-scale missile and drone attack targeting cities across Israel and the two countries continued to attack each other in the days that followed. On June 21, US President Donald Trump announced that the US had weighed in and bombed three of Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Iran launched missiles at a US airbase in response to the strikes. Qatar said all the missiles were intercepted. A ceasefire between Israel and Iran began today (June 24) but Israel’s defence minister has since accused Iran of violating the agreement.
Tehran has denied launching any missiles, according to its state TV. Iran earlier said it would respect the ceasefire if Israel did the same.
Sapphire was not the only person who said they saw missiles from Cyprus, according to the comments section of her video. She posted the video on TikTok.
Lauren said: “We are in Cyprus and we also saw them.” A second viewer said: “The world is so scary now.”
“That’s so saddening. The thought of all those civilians caught up in it,” added Sarah. Luca said: “I just want peace everywhere.”
“Heartbreaking. This world is becoming so frightening,” a fifth viewer added.