Iran launched multiple missile salvos at Israel on Saturday, sending residents in central Israel scrambling to shelters throughout the day. The attacks came hours after a joint U.S.-Israeli strike on Iran, which the Israeli military said involved dozens of missiles. Several people were lightly wounded, while many incoming missiles were intercepted.
In Jaffa, a mixed Arab-Jewish area of Tel Aviv, more than 100 people crowded into a public shelter beneath a park. Among them were Muslim families fasting for Ramadan, religious Jewish seminary students, and at least a dozen dogs. Some brought mattresses and played cards, while others shared snacks. As sundown approached, Muslims broke their fast inside the shelter.
Idit Cohen, a local resident, described the shelter as a place of community solidarity. A stranger offered to drive her son to reserve duty despite it being the Jewish sabbath. “Of course we expected it, even though we didn’t want it to happen,” she said. “We see families with babies … but there are elderly people that aren’t able to keep running here all day.”
Igor Libenson, a construction worker with two young sons, said his family was exhausted from the constant moves. “The kids aren’t scared, we were here also in June in the same situation,” he said, referring to a 12-day war with Iran last year. Some religious Jews in the shelter sang psalms together.
Maya Tutian, sheltering in north Tel Aviv, said: “We look at this in the long term. We suffer today but we do hope that it will resolve the problems of tomorrow. The Iranian regime is not just a threat to us … but for the entire world.”
Shelter access remains unequal. While new buildings must have reinforced safe rooms, Iran's ballistic missiles are stronger than the rockets they are designed to withstand. In poorer areas, especially among the Bedouin minority, over two-thirds lack shelter access. Last summer, some Bedouin families built DIY shelters from buried containers and trucks. The Israeli army cancelled school and most gatherings across the country on Saturday.
