Iran Retaliates Against Israel with Missiles, Nine Dead and Dozens Buried

Iran’s retaliatory strike on Israel continued through Sunday evening, with dozens of Israeli civilians killed and wounded.

Iranian ballistic missiles have killed at least nine people and injured approximately 20 others in Beit Shemesh, a city in central Israel located 30 kilometres west of Jerusalem, according to the Magen David Adom ambulance service.

“Nine people were killed in a direct strike in Beit Shemesh,” said Magen David Adom spokesman Zaki Heller in a televised statement.

The Israeli military stated in a Telegram announcement that search and rescue teams, together with medical personnel and evacuation helicopters, were operating at impact locations.

According to Al Jazeera, this represents the highest casualty toll since Israel commenced military operations against Iran on Saturday.

Beit Shemesh is located between West Jerusalem and Jaffa. The developing city appears to have been struck in residential areas with older homes constructed in previous years. One shelter facility in the area also appears to have been damaged.

Rescue personnel continue efforts to extract individuals trapped beneath rubble, raising concerns that the casualty figures will increase further.

Questions have emerged regarding why sirens were not activated in Beit Shemesh. This represents one of the significant risks Israel has undertaken by initiating conflict with Iran. Missiles continue to arrive in Israeli cities from Iran. Israel attempts to intercept all such missiles in response, with the attendant risk of interception failures, as occurred in Beit Shemesh and Tel Aviv.