Iranian Missile Directly Hits Beit Shemesh Shelter, Killing Nine

Nine people were killed Sunday when an Iranian missile directly struck a public shelter in Beit Shemesh, in what authorities describe as the deadliest incident since the launch of Operation “Roaring Lion” At least 51 others were wounded in the attack, which caused the shelter’s roof to collapse and severely damaged surrounding homes.

Four of the victims were reportedly inside the shelter when the missile hit, while others were killed in adjacent buildings. The impact and resulting blast wave left eight homes in the compound nearly completely destroyed. Emergency vehicles lined the highway near the scene as rescue teams worked through rubble and debris.

Fire and Rescue Services from the Jerusalem District began extracting victims shortly after the strike, alongside Home Front Command forces and a specialized rescue unit. Energy sources in the area were disconnected to prevent additional hazards.

Authorities reported 51 wounded in total: two in serious condition, four moderately injured and 45 lightly hurt. According to hospital officials, 16 lightly injured victims were brought to Hadassah Mount Scopus. Thirteen were taken to Hadassah Ein Kerem, including three children, one in moderate condition and the others lightly hurt. Among the adult patients there was a woman listed in severe but stable condition.

Lydia Lazutin, who sustained light injuries, described the moment of impact: “There was a siren and we didn’t have time to go down. The missile hit immediately. All the glass and shutters were blown out.”

Meir Bloch, who arrived minutes later, said: “I arrived six or seven minutes after it happened. I saw fire, smoke columns, and injured people screaming. I started giving first aid as much as I could until rescue forces arrived. I’ve been at hundreds of terror attacks and incidents, but this was truly a very difficult sight.”

Nati Ben Shimon, a paramedic from MDA’s motorcycle unit, said: “There is extensive destruction at the scene, including several buildings that were severely damaged. Some of the injured were trapped in apartments and brought to us by rescue forces. The sight was difficult. We identified four in critical condition with severe injuries.”

The strike occurred during one of the heaviest barrages since the war began, with continuous alerts sounding from near the northern border down to south of Be’er Sheva for more than 15 minutes. In a separate incident during the same barrage, a man about 50 was lightly to moderately injured by shrapnel in a moshav in the Yarkon region.

The IDF said rescue and medical forces, including a helicopter, were operating at the Beit Shemesh impact site. The military added that early-warning alerts were activated as scheduled in the area and that the circumstances of the strike are under investigation.

IDF Spokesman for foreign media Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani accused the Iranian regime of deliberately targeting civilians. “We know this is their strategy. In their latest attack they killed many civilians in Beit Shemesh. We will continue to do everything in our power to remove these capabilities from this bloodthirsty terror regime.”

Police Commissioner Dani Levi said bomb disposal experts were working to assess the missile and explosive materials used. “This is a very complex and problematic scene. We will likely work here all night. At this time we are not aware of additional trapped individuals,” he said.

Searches and engineering assessments continued into the evening as authorities sought to ensure no one remained beneath the rubble.