An Iranian Ballistic missile struck Beit Shemesh in Israel, leaving eight dead and several injured.
The missile hit a residential area in the city, with medics reporting 23 victims rushed to hospitals, two in serious condition, three moderately injured, and 18 with light injuries, according to the Times of Israel.
The Israeli Defence Forces confirmed in an X post saying, “The Iranian Regime directly fired missiles toward the civilian neighborhood of Beit Shemesh, killing innocent civilians.”
Emergency services, including Magen David Adom (MDA) and United Hatzalah, confirmed a rising death toll as rescuers recovered more bodies from rubble, with the count climbing from six to eight amid ongoing searches following a partial building collapse.
Among the injured, at least two, including a girl around 10 years old, suffered serious or critical injuries, while others sustained light to moderate wounds from shrapnel and blast effects, per The Times of Israel.
Reportedly, the missile struck near a synagogue in the city, inflicting severe damage on a nearby residential area, while sirens wailed across central and northern Israel amid further impacts elsewhere, Beit Shemesh bearing the brunt of casualties in this barrage.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) noted that while most Iranian projectiles in recent waves were downed by Israel’s multi-layered defences, including Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Arrow, this ballistic missile broke through to hit its mark.
Officials promptly launched an inquiry into the interception lapse, as scrutiny mounts over the scale and advanced nature of Iran’s latest onslaught, dubbed “Operation True Promise 4” by Tehran.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed responsibility for the large-scale attacks, framing them as retaliation for the US-Israeli strikes on Tehran that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and dozens of top officials.
Iranian state media reported over 200 deaths nationwide. This follows a deadly Saturday strike in Tel Aviv that killed one woman and injured dozens in a residential block, pushing overall Israeli casualties from Iranian barrages to at least seven dead and over 100 wounded across multiple waves.
