‘God is protecting us’ - Firsthand accounts from scene of Iranian missile attack on Arad

The city of Arad, located in southern Israel on the border of the Negev and the Judean Deserts, was hit by an Iranian missile on Saturday night after two attempts at interception by Israel’s aerial defense system failed, injuring around 100 people, 10 of them seriously.

ALL ISRAEL NEWS correspondent Oriel Moran traveled to Arad to assess firsthand the damage caused by the strike.

With a population of around 30,000, Arad is a diverse community and home to a growing Haredi, or ultra-Orthodox Jewish, population.

The missile struck in the middle of a cluster of apartment buildings that house many Haredi families. The strike damaged nine apartment buildings, causing four to collapse, and the extent of the destruction was difficult to take in.

Moran spoke with Simcha, Arad resident and coordinator of Meser, which provides community emergency services. Simcha shared that her organization "is recruited to help in the case of an emergency event in the city." They help "receive the residents evacuated from their homes," like in the case of all the families who found themselves displaced after the missile attack in Arad. She noted that the seriously injured "are taken to the hospital, not to us."

Simcha shared her first encounter with a woman after tragedy struck Arad was "with a young Arab woman that lived in one of the buildings." She said that "she was crying and my heart went out to her. Because you think, 'My God, we're all human beings, we all experienced the same thing. We're all in the same situation.' My heart went out to her."

Jamie Betesh, another Arad resident who lives six blocks from the impact site, told ALL ISRAEL NEWS she had just returned home from a birthday party when the siren sounded. She went to her miklat – community bomb shelter – and said the impact “blew the window of the bomb shelter open really hard, but didn't shatter the glass.”

Betesh said she has seen many miracles since the Oct. 7, 2023, war with Hamas and in the current conflict with Iran, saying she knows, “God is protecting us.”

In addition to Arad, the nearby city of Dimona was also hit by missiles on Saturday night due to failed interceptions. Knesset Member Yegevni Sova was at the scene and spoke with Moran about what we were seeing was the result of the "evil Iranian regime that shouldn't be allowed to stay [in power]." He told Moran that the regime "doesn't just threaten Israel, but also the Gulf region."

Sova said there are "two things we must understand about this war. First of all, the regime cannot remain as a result of this war. Hezbollah cannot stay as a result of this war." He continued saying, "The Israeli homefront must be strong and be diligent to heed the instructions of the Home Front Command."

Moran acknowledged that the Israeli defense system isn't perfect in its operation and asked for clarity about what happened and why the interceptions weren't successful. Sova explained that "there is no defense that is hermetic. Even when our defense works 90-95%, there will always be a 5% failure and inaccuracies."

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have said that both incidents in Arad and Dimona are under review.

In Dimona, i24 News reported that 60 people were injured and evacuated to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheva. Among them were a 12-year-old boy in serious condition who underwent surgery overnight, and a man in his 20s listed in moderate condition. Five patients remained in the hospital for continued treatment.

The IDF said the missile contained several hundred kilograms of explosives and struck muddy ground between residential buildings, adding that civilians who were in shelters were not injured.

Arad saw more than 100 people taken to the hospital with injuries, with 10 reported in serious condition. Hospital officials said 31 patients were admitted for continued treatment, including 18 children. Four people treated for shock and/or acute anxiety have since been released to rest and recover at home. According to the IDF, those injured were not in protected spaces at the time of the strike.

There are reportedly around 500 people who have been displaced from their homes following the attacks on Arad and Dimona, with most being housed in nearby Dead Sea hotels.