At least eight people were killed and more than 20 others injured on Sunday when an Iranian ballistic missile directly struck a residential building in the central Israeli city of Beit Shemesh, west of Jerusalem. The attack is part of an escalating retaliatory barrage from Iran following U.S. and Israeli strikes that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior officials.
Emergency services, including Magen David Adom (MDA) and United Hatzalah, confirmed the rising death toll after rescuers pulled additional bodies from the rubble. Initial reports indicated four fatalities, but the number rose to six as search operations continued at the scene of the partial building collapse. Among the injured, at least two people, including a young girl approximately 10 years old, were reported in serious or critical condition, with others sustaining light to moderate wounds from shrapnel and blast effects.
The Iranian Regime directly fired missiles toward the civilian neighborhood of Beit Shemesh, killing innocent civilians.
The Iranian regime purposely targets civilian targets while we precisely target terror targets. This is who we’re operating against—a regime who uses… pic.twitter.com/9W8Fp4T2tH
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) March 1, 2026
The missile hit near a synagogue in the city, causing extensive destruction in a residential area. Sirens blared across central and northern Israel during the attack, with additional impacts reported in other locations, though Beit Shemesh suffered the heaviest casualties from this wave.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that while most incoming Iranian projectiles in recent barrages have been intercepted by Israel’s multi-layered defence systems, including Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Arrow, this particular ballistic missile penetrated defences and struck its target. Military officials have launched an immediate probe into the apparent interception failure, amid questions about the volume and sophistication of Iran’s latest salvoes, designated by Tehran as part of “Operation Honest Promise 4.”
According to the military, the Home Front Command’s early warning system functioned as intended and was activated in Bet Shemesh ahead of the actual sirens, which also sounded. But the missile apparently could not be intercepted by the air defence systems.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed responsibility for the large-scale attacks, describing them as retaliation for the strikes on Tehran that killed Khamenei and dozens of high-ranking figures. Iranian state media reported heavy losses from the U.S.-Israeli campaign, with over 200 deaths across the country.
This incident follows a deadly strike late Saturday in Tel Aviv, where one woman was killed and dozens were injured when an Iranian missile hit a residential block. Overall casualties from Iranian fire on Israel have now reached at least seven dead and over 100 injured across multiple waves.
Prime Minister’s Office and military spokespeople have vowed continued operations against Iranian regime targets, while urging residents to remain near shelters.
