Australian television journalist and presenter Erin Molan spoke to Arutz Sheva-Israel National News as she returned home this week, after being unexpectedly ‘stuck’ in Israel during the recent war against Iran.
In a heartfelt conversation, Molan shared her deep emotional connection to the Jewish state and recounted her experiences during a period of intense conflict.
“It is lovely to be home,” Molan said, speaking from Australia. “But I say very genuinely -it’s been much harder than I realized in terms of leaving. I feel almost this longing to go back, even though when my alarm goes off, I think it's an alarm to run to a bomb shelter. It special to be in that country, even when it’s at war and even when you have a regime that is targeting civilians. The complete opposite to what Israel was doing.”
Molan had arrived in Israel to receive an honorary doctorate but found herself grounded after Iran launched an unprecedented missile attack against the Jewish state, forcing the closure of Israeli airspace. Instead of retreating, she decided to take action.
“I’m a ‘make lemonade out of lemons’ kind of girl,” she said. “Once I realized I wasn’t leaving, I thought, ‘Wait a minute, I’m here on the ground.’ I looked at the headlines from major media outlets and saw how distorted they were. I knew I had to show the truth.”
“I knew that I could stay in my hotel near the bomb shelter, or “Or I could go out to missile sites. I could show the world exactly where the Iranian regime were aiming these missiles.” Molan began reporting directly from missile impact sites, documenting how Iranian projectiles had deliberately targeted civilian neighborhoods. “They weren’t aimed at military infrastructure—they were aimed at families, apartment buildings,” she said. “And no one else was showing that.”
Molan described her time on the ground as a privilege, despite the danger. “I'm a journalist. This is what I love. I love being able to tell stories. I love showing the world the truth and I was in the most incredible position to do that. I didn’t have a war correspondent’s wardrobe—I packed for one night on the ground, and there were moments that were terrifying. But professionally, it was an honor to be there.”
Reflecting on international perception, Molan noted a shift in public understanding during the confrontation with Iran. “I think people could see this more clearly,” she said. “The legitimacy of the mission, with the US stepping in, helped. Even countries usually hostile to Israel acknowledged its right to respond.”
Now back in Australia, Molan said her commitment to Israel and the truth remains unwavering. “This is a never-ending mission for me. I don’t stand with Israel just because I love the country - though I do - I stand with Israel because I stand against terrorism.”
She emphasized the global stakes of the battle Israel is waging. “This fight doesn’t stop with Israel or the Jews. The same extremism is already here in Australia, in the UK, in the US. Israel is doing the lion’s share of the work for the free world.”
Molan concluded with a promise to return. “I’ll be back in Israel as soon as I can. I’ll keep showing the truth - not to convince people to think like me, but so they can make better-informed decisions. This is good versus evil, and Israel deserves our gratitude, not our condemnation.”