ISRAELIS who cheated death in Iran’s 181-missile blitz hailed “The Miracle of Tel Aviv” yesterday.
Terrifying video of Tuesday night’s unprecedented ballistic missile barrage showed fireballs crashing to earth as Israel’s Iron Dome rocket defence system went into action.
AFPKids stand on top of the remains of an Iranian missile in the Negev desert near Arad, a city in Israel[/caption]
ReutersPeople inspect the ballistic missile lying in the desert[/caption]
Families dashed to shelters as some missiles made it through, along with white hot shrapnel from those that did not.
But just one death was reported last night — that of a Palestinian.
Meanwhile kids played on one downed Iranian missile, summing up the relief and defiance of the Israeli people.
At Shalhevet Primary School, in the southern suburb of Gedera, a missile smashed into the playground just a few hours after children as young as five gathered to celebrate the Jewish New Year.
Father-of-three Yoni Karniel told The Sun: “A half-ton warhead exploded at the exact spot where the children held their party. It would have wiped all of them out.”
Yoni, 29 — son of the school’s principal — added: “Four classrooms were completely destroyed.
“But it was the only unpopulated building in the entire neighbourhood. Today we are all thanking God for an absolute miracle.”
In the northern Tel Aviv suburb of Hod HaSharon another rocket exploded yards from homes.
Other near misses in the 7.30pm bombardment included a huge blast on a patch of parkland, totally destroying a disused youth club and damaging 100 homes with a mushroom cloud of blazing debris.
But again, no one was hurt after residents followed home defence alerts and dashed for shelters.
Artist Shmulik Succary, 83, reached one with his wife an instant before the explosion erupted.
He told The Sun: “We realised we needed to get to safety fast and closed the door of the shelter a few seconds before an enormous boom rocked the entire neighbourhood.
“All our windows were blown in and debris was flying everywhere. I’ve never seen such destruction and would definitely have died if I’d stayed in my home. I still can’t believe we lived through it.”
Mayor Amir Kochavi said: “This was not only a miracle but a great show of discipline by people who saved themselves by responding to the alerts and heading for shelters. Many people would have died if that missile had landed just a few metres from where it did. And we are thankful that no one was hurt among all this destruction.”
Across Israel, at least four people were said to have suffered minor wounds while others were hurt running for cover as debris fell.
Dan CharityThe Sun’s Nick Parker in Tel Aviv after the Iranian missile strike[/caption]
ReutersPallbearers carry the casket of Israeli soldier Captain Eitan Itzhak Oster[/caption]
RexBallistic missile is launched from Iran against Israel and intercepted in the sky[/caption]
As damage assessments continued yesterday, Israel Defence Forces top brass admitted military sites had been hit. They declined to give details and said all bases remained fully operational.
IDF chief Herzi Halevi said after a visit to the Tel Nof Airbase: “Thanks to proper behaviour and high-quality defences, damage was relatively minor. We will respond with precision and power.”
A Palestinian labourer in the West Bank village of Nu’eima, near Jericho, was reported to have been the attack’s sole death.
Dad-of-three Sameh al-Asali, 37, was killed instantly. A shocking video circulated on social media claimed to show him being crushed by a massive section of a falling rocket.
Pictures later showed a long missile casing lying next to the victim’s sheet-covered body.
Family’s grief
Jericho governor Hussein Hamayel confirmed: “A Palestinian worker was killed when pieces of a rocket fell from the sky and hit him.”
Four other Palestinians were reportedly injured by shrapnel from the same missile.
I would like to send my heartfelt condolences to the families of our heroes who fell today in Lebanon.
Benjamin Netanyahu
The dead man’s grieving family revealed he was born in Jabalia in Gaza — now a stronghold of Hamas terrorists.
He was one of the thousands of Gazan labourers given Israeli work permits who were stranded in Israel after the October 7 atrocities.
The IDF, which yesterday continued raids on Lebanon’s capital Beirut, said it intercepted “a large number” of the ballistic missiles launched by Iran.
They put that down to the country’s defences in co-operation with US and British air forces. Neighbouring Jordan said it also intercepted missiles and drones over its airspace.
Amid scenes of jubilation in capital Tehran, Iran insisted its barrage had succeeded in striking 90 per cent of its targets.
But Western analysts discounted the claim and branded the blitz an embarrassing flop.
APAn Israeli mobile artillery unit fires a shell from northern Israel towards Lebanon[/caption]
ReutersIran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei pictured at a meeting in Tehran[/caption]