The death toll from Tuesday morning's Iranian ballistic missile strike on a residential building in Beersheba has reached four, Israeli authorities confirmed. This follows a correction of an earlier report by the Fire and Rescue Service which had mistakenly listed five fatalities.
The devastating early-morning attack also left 20 people wounded, with two remaining in moderate condition, according to emergency services.
Details of the Attack
The missile strike, part of a broader Iranian barrage targeting southern Israel, hit a sixth-floor apartment in Beersheba at approximately 5:40 a.m., shortly after an early warning was issued. Residents have raised concerns that sirens only sounded moments before the impact.
A preliminary IDF Home Front Command investigation revealed that all four fatalities occurred inside reinforced bomb safe rooms, which took a direct hit from the Iranian missile. Two ballistic missiles were launched toward Beersheba during the salvo. One was intercepted, while the other evaded Israel's aerial defenses and directly struck the safe rooms of two separate apartments, one of which was completely destroyed, killing its occupants instantly.
Safe Room Limitations
Although safe rooms, known in Hebrew as "mamad," are designed to withstand the shockwaves and shrapnel of rocket and missile attacks, they are not engineered to survive a direct strike from a large explosive warhead, such as those used in Iranian ballistic missiles.
This marks the second fatal incident involving direct hits on reinforced rooms during the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran.
Military Response
The Israeli Air Force has launched an investigation to determine why the second missile was not intercepted, especially given the early warning issued at 5:07 a.m.
Military officials noted that a total of 20 missiles were launched by Iran at Israel throughout the morning, in six separate salvos between 5:00 and 7:00 a.m.
Despite the tragedy, the Home Front Command reiterated that reinforced safe rooms remain the safest option during missile strikes, even amid evolving threats from long-range precision munitions.
In related news, France has welcomed an Israel-Iran ceasefire and urged immediate talks on nuclear and missile threats.
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