Aftermath of the attack on the bomb shelte

Israelis, fleeing from Iranian missile fire, went into a bomb shelter under a synagogue. An Iranian missile penetrated the bomb shelter, killing nine and injuring dozens more. The head of the IDF’s Home Front Commando confirmed: “a direct hit [on the shelter] penetrated the protective structure.” As we read in Haaretz:

Nine people were killed on Sunday after an Iranian missile hit a public bomb shelter at a synagogue in the central Israeli city of Beit Shemesh.

The commander of Israel Police’s Jerusalem District said that some of the victims were apparently inside the bomb shelter when they were killed, while others were in nearby buildings when the missile hit. The IDF’s Home Front Command is checking whether the shelter was functioning properly.

Sixty people were injured in the strike. Two of them are in serious condition, including a young girl. Five were moderately injured, including two children, one of them four years old. The rest, among them children, sustained light injuries. A pregnant woman was among the wounded, according to the Hadassah Medical Center. Fire and rescue services said they rescued over 70 residents from the scene of the strike.

Police Commissioner Danny Levy said that the authorities are working to rescue a woman trapped at the scene. In addition to the house that was struck, dozens of nearby homes were also damaged.

The IDF said that a review determined that the missile siren system was activated as required before the missile hit. However, a resident who was at the scene told Haaretz that the explosion occurred during the siren, while another resident said it was heard before the siren.

The head of the IDF’s Home Front Command said that “a direct hit [on the shelter] penetrated the protective structure.”