Shortly before a ceasefire between Iran and Israel was due to take effect, residents in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba were woken early on Tuesday by the sound of missile alarms on their phones. "Extreme alert," the message read, warning of an imminent strike. Then the sirens sounded in the streets. Like others, Merav Manay and her family headed into their safe room - a secure part of their apartment built of reinforced concrete with a heavy metal door and designed to protect against rocket attacks. When the Iranian missile hit, they felt the building move and covered their heads with their arms. "It was so strong that we thought it was the end," she said. When they emerged, the windows at the front of their flat had shattered across the floor from the missile blast. But they were safe. Merav stayed in the flat for several hours, frightened of what she would see outside. Just across the road, a block not dissimilar to hers had been directly hit and partially collapsed. Four people were killed there. The spokesman for the southern Home Front Command told the BBC that they too were inside safe rooms when their building took a direct hit. After the strike, Israeli medics and military personnel rushed to Beersheba to rescue survivors and recover remains. Volunteers and local residents swept the shattered glass from the streets. "I hope this is the end," one man told the BBC as he surveyed the damage. Israel and Iran both confirmed after the Beersheba strike that they had agreed to a ceasefire, but then accused each other of violating it. As Beersheba's residents dealt with the shock and the damage to their community, they also questioned whether the fragile truce would hold. On Tuesday afternoon, Oren Cohen, 45, stood on Tuesday afternoon among debris in his garden, overlooked by the block that was struck. He said he could not bring himself to look at it. "I was worried about my kids so only now am I starting to realise what happened here," he said. Oren was with his wife and three children - aged eight, 12 and 15 - when the strike hit, and said the reinforced window flew open on the impact of the blast. As he spoke, a group of volunteers in fluorescent vests arrived to help with the clean-up. Even after being directly affected, Oren said he supported Israel's strikes on Iran that marked the beginning of the 12-day conflict. "I think that we had no other choice," he said. "We do what we have to do to protect ourselves." He said he didn't know if he could "count on" the ceasefire but trusted the Israeli government to know when it had achieved its goals. As Merav left her home on Tuesday for the first time to assess the damage in her community, she too said she believed Israel had had no choice but to strike Iran. "It would have happened sooner or later. We were prepared for this," she said.
'We thought it was the end': Israeli town reels after deadly strike
TruthLens AI Suggested Headline:
"Residents of Beersheba React to Deadly Missile Strike Amidst Fragile Ceasefire"
Bbc News
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TruthLens AI Summary
In the southern Israeli city of Beersheba, residents experienced a terrifying early morning as missile alarms blared on their phones just before a ceasefire between Iran and Israel was set to take effect. Merav Manay and her family rushed to their safe room, which is designed to withstand such attacks. When the Iranian missile struck, the force was so intense that Merav feared for their lives, stating, "It was so strong that we thought it was the end." After the blast, they emerged to find their apartment's windows shattered, while a nearby building had been directly hit, resulting in the tragic deaths of four people. The local Home Front Command confirmed that they too were in safe rooms when the missile hit, prompting a swift response from Israeli medics and military personnel who rushed to rescue survivors and recover remains amidst the chaos. Community volunteers joined in to clear the streets of debris, reflecting the overwhelming shock felt by the residents of Beersheba.
As the dust settled, residents grappled with the aftermath of the strike and the uncertainty of the fragile ceasefire that had been announced. Oren Cohen, a resident who witnessed the destruction from his garden, expressed his concerns for his children and shared his initial disbelief at the event. Despite being directly affected by the violence, he voiced support for Israel's military actions against Iran, believing they were necessary for self-protection. Merav echoed this sentiment, asserting that a confrontation was inevitable and that they had been prepared for such an escalation. The emotional weight of the event loomed over the community, as residents questioned the viability of the ceasefire while simultaneously processing their trauma and loss, hoping for a return to safety in their everyday lives.
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