Tal Friedlander felt grateful to be alive on Saturday after emerging from a bomb shelter in central Israel to find his apartment completely destroyed by an Iranian missile strike.
A damaged residential block stood in Ramat Gan near Tel Aviv, with large sections reduced to rubble and twisted metal. An AFP journalist reported debris strewn across the street, alongside the wrecks of several cars — a rare scene in Israel, where missile defence systems usually intercept such attacks.
Iran launched waves of drones and missiles overnight, lighting up the skies above Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. The barrage killed three people and injured dozens. It followed Israel’s recent airstrikes on Iranian military and nuclear facilities, which reportedly killed senior commanders, nuclear scientists, and civilians.
Friedlander said he saw interceptors in the sky just before the sirens sounded.
“We rushed into the shelter, and after a few minutes, we heard a huge explosion. We knew something serious had happened,” he told AFP.
“There was smoke inside, and the shelter began to crack. We were scared to go out.”
After ten minutes, he emerged to find his home destroyed.
“It’s only property damage,” he said. “I thank God we are alive.”
‘We Are Not Nervous’
Air raid sirens and explosions echoed across Israel throughout the night. Residents remained in bomb shelters until the alerts were lifted.
In central Tel Aviv, AFPTV footage showed fire and smoke billowing from a residential tower, with a large crater torn into its base.
“They want to destroy us,” Friedlander said. “But we are strong… we must continue and defeat them — until victory.”
In Rishon LeZion, near Tel Aviv, first responders examined rubble from collapsed buildings.
Kobi Cohen described how the force of a nearby blast blew the door off his shelter.
“All the windows and doors shattered, but we survived. Thank God — that’s what matters most,” he said.
He confirmed that someone had died in a nearby street but added, “Most of us have lived through wars before, so we’re not nervous.”
‘Trust in God’
By Saturday morning, Tel Aviv’s beachfront was quiet. Normally bustling bars and restaurants remained closed, but a few people walked dogs, swam, sunbathed, or took selfies.
“We got up, left the shelter, went to the beach, and had breakfast,” said Tal, a Jaffa resident who withheld his surname. He noted that previous attacks, including Iran’s missile strike in April 2024, had left Israelis accustomed to such threats.
“I think we’ve largely dismantled their ability to retaliate,” he said, referring to Israel’s attacks on over 200 Iranian military and nuclear targets.
Artist Dalia Neeman, 77, who lives in Tel Aviv, expressed confidence in Israel’s campaign.
“I believe what Israel is doing in Iran will benefit the world,” she told AFP.
“We feel safe in Tel Aviv. We believe in God — and we trust Him to protect us every time.”