Israelis Seek Shelter as Iran Launches Missile Strikes Following Joint US-Israel Attack

Residents across central Israel spent Saturday rushing between bomb shelters as Iran fired dozens of missiles in retaliation for a joint US-Israeli military operation. Families, including Muslims observing Ramadan, crowded into public shelters in Tel Aviv neighborhoods, with some breaking their daily fast underground. The attacks highlight ongoing shelter shortages in poorer communities, particularly affecting Arab and Bedouin populations.

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Residents across central Israel spent Saturday moving repeatedly between bomb shelters as Iran launched continuous rocket attacks following a major joint military operation by the United States and Israel against Iran.

Numerous residential buildings in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods lack proper protective facilities. In the mixed Arab-Jewish community of Jaffa within Tel Aviv, over 100 residents sought refuge in a public underground shelter beneath a local park. The diverse group included Muslim families with small children, Jewish seminary students, and more than a dozen pets.

Various groups spread out on personal mattresses and engaged in card games, while others distributed food among themselves. Observant Muslims continued their Ramadan fasting despite the circumstances. Most shelter occupants monitored their mobile devices for news updates as warning sirens repeatedly echoed through the area. When evening arrived, Muslims were compelled to conduct their iftar meal — the traditional sunset meal ending the daily fast — within the bomb shelter.

“Of course we expected it, even though we didn’t want it to happen,” said Idit Cohen, who lives near the park. She noted, however, that it was one of the times when you could see the community come together.

Cohen’s son was called up for emergency reserve military service, and an unknown person in the shelter offered transportation to his military base, despite being an observant Jew who typically avoids driving during Saturday, the Jewish sabbath.

“I want it to end as soon as possible, it’s a nightmare, people are more and more frustrated and tired,” Cohen said. “We see families with babies and young kids here, but there are elderly people that aren’t able to keep running here all day.”

Over the previous two and a half years, Israeli citizens have grown accustomed to this emergency protocol through conflicts involving Hamas forces in Gaza, Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, Houthi fighters in Yemen, and a 12-day confrontation with Iran last June.

Igor Libenson, a construction worker and father of two sons, said his family was mostly tired from the constant moving back and forth. “The kids aren’t scared, we were here also in June in the same situation,” said Libenson, whose sons are 4 and 7 years old.

Some of the religious Jews sang psalms with their arms slung around each others’ shoulders.

“We look at this in the long term. We suffer today but we do hope that it will resolve the problems of tomorrow,” said Maya Tutian, a resident of Tel Aviv, who was in a public shelter in the northern part of the city. “The Iranian regime is not just a threat of us, people who live here in Tel Aviv, but for the entire world.”

During the previous year’s conflict with Iran, some residents lacking home shelter access slept in Tel Aviv’s subway stations and underground shopping center parking areas.

Although current Israeli construction codes mandate reinforced safe rooms designed to protect against rocket attacks, Iran deploys significantly more powerful ballistic weapons. Shelter availability remains critically insufficient in lower-income neighborhoods and communities, particularly affecting Arab populations and countryside regions.

According to the Negev Coexistence Forum, a regional advocacy organization, more than two-thirds of Israel’s Bedouin population lacks shelter access. During the previous summer, numerous Bedouin families constructed improvised protective spaces using whatever materials they could find: buried metal containers, buried vehicles, and repurposed building materials.

Iran initiated its missile campaign shortly after the combined Israeli-American military operation began early Saturday. By evening, Israeli military officials reported that dozens of projectiles had been fired toward Israel.

Israeli law enforcement and emergency response teams reported several individuals sustained minor injuries from missile impacts, while military defense systems successfully intercepted numerous incoming projectiles.

Israeli authorities issued nationwide emergency alerts and elevated the country to maximum readiness status, suspending educational activities and most public events throughout the nation.