Several Iranian missiles hit the center of Israel, breaking through its strong air defense system. These attacks caused major damage to houses and buildings, killed three people, and injured dozens more. On Friday night, during the attack, many Israeli citizens shared how they experienced panic, confusion, and fear.
Earlier on Friday morning, Israel launched an unprecedented attack on Iran’s military and nuclear sites. In response, Iran fired multiple missiles at Israel on Friday night. As missiles came in, the Israeli army sounded sirens to warn people. Millions of people quickly ran to safe shelters.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said they were able to stop most of the Iranian missiles. However, some missiles hit homes in Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan, and Rishon areas, causing damage.
An Iranian missile hit a high-rise building in Tel Aviv. A resident of the building, Tali Horesh, told Israeli news outlet Ynetnews, “We were watching the news on the computer with our door closed. Suddenly, there was a huge explosion, so loud that the whole building shook.” She added, “A few minutes later, the smoke detector started beeping. When we opened the door, the living room was full of smoke. So we went back into the safe room.”
According to Ynet, Tali Horesh and her family stayed inside the safe room for two hours until rescue teams arrived. She said there was heavy destruction on the lower floors of the building.
Soldiers, firefighters, police officers, health workers, and engineers worked at the scene for several hours. They checked the entire building to make sure no one was trapped inside.
Colonel (Ret.) Michael David, who leads the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Home Front, told Ynet, “This is such a large-scale event, unlike anything we’ve seen before.”
Michael David said they received a photo of a resident from the building and were asked to check if the person was trapped. It took several hours because the building had hundreds of tenants. He said they cannot leave the site until they are sure no one is in danger.
Iran’s missile attack also caused damage in Ramat Gan, a city near Tel Aviv. In this attack, 63 people were injured. One of them, a woman in critical condition, later died.
In another missile attack early Saturday morning, a residential area in Rishon, another city near Tel Aviv, was hit. In that attack, a 73-year-old man named Israel Aloni and another woman were killed. At least 20 people were injured.
Among those rescued from the damaged buildings was a three-month-old baby.
Captain Idan Chen from Israel’s Fire and Rescue Services told Walla news site, “I picked the baby up in my arms and handed it to the first police officer I saw. Then I helped get the rest of the family out.
Idan Chen told Walla, “While we were working, there were still people trapped in the rooms above and in front. On the other side, a fire was burning. In the middle of all the destruction, I tried to stay calm and manage the situation.”
A resident of the area, Avi Gateneo, told Channel 12 about what happened that night. “My wife is abroad, and I was sleeping with my children. As soon as the siren went off, we ran downstairs to the safe room. Five minutes later, we heard a huge explosion.”
When he went outside, he saw major destruction in his neighborhood. He helped an elderly couple come out from under the debris.
Gateneo said he quickly ran back to his children. “Thank God, nothing happened to us. Not even a scratch,” he said. Pointing to a piece of broken glass on the ground, he added, “This kind of glass could have hit a child and killed them.
