Beit Shemesh, a city about 30 kilometres west of jerusalem, was struck by an Iranian ballistic missile in the afternoon, causing widespread destruction and casualties, Magen David Adom said.
Magen David Adom reported nine people killed and 28 injured at the site, while other outlets described at least nine dead and dozens wounded, and one outlet initially reported eight fatalities.
Rescue teams wearing orange helmets searched through rubble as military search and rescue units and a helicopter evacuated the injured, the Israeli military said, and ambulance crews from Magen David Adom operated at the scene.
Reports described collapsed residential buildings, shattered homes, a destroyed synagogue and damage to a public bomb shelter and nearby cars, with rescuers still looking for missing people amid a large crater at the impact site.
Al Jazeera quoted its correspondent saying this toll was Israel’s highest since the attacks began, and noted residents’ concerns that warning sirens did not sound in Beit Shemesh before the strike.
Context Reaction And Wider Developments
The strike was one of a series of Iranian attacks after the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, an event reported as resulting from US and Israeli strikes, Al Jazeera said.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera the killing of Khamenei would complicate the confrontation and said Iran had “no restrictions or limits in defending ourselves,” while President Masoud Pezeshkian said the country would follow Khamenei’s path, as reported by Al Jazeera.
News agencies including Reuters and the BBC linked the Beit Shemesh strike to broader Iranian barrages across Israel and described intense emergency operations, with the Home Front Command investigating why a shelter collapsed after a direct hit, according to Media Line.
Eyewitness accounts described flames, scattered debris and heavy smoke, and rescue teams continued searches into the evening, with officials promising further updates as operations progressed.
