Four people were confirmed dead after a building collapsed in Haifa overnight following an Iranian missile barrage, as shrapnel from intercepted ballistic missiles struck at least 20 sites across central and northern Israel on Monday morning.
In Haifa, the bodies of four people were recovered from a collapsed building after overnight efforts to reach those trapped under the rubble. Earlier Monday, two casualties, a man and a woman in their 80s, were pulled from the building. At around 12:40 p.m. local time, Magen David Adom confirmed that the two additional bodies, belonging to a man in his 40s and a woman in her 30s, were recovered from the site.
During the rescue attempts, advanced technological tools, including phone tracking, were used to pinpoint the approximate locations of the trapped individuals.
The IDF attempted to intercept the missile launched toward Haifa but failed after it broke apart early in flight, scattering fragments across the Haifa area, The Jerusalem Post learned.
In light of the civilian turmoil in Haifa, the city's mayor, Yona Yahav, spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday morning, although the municipality's statement did not reveal the details of the conversation.
So far, 26 families in Haifa have been evacuated to hotels, according to the Haifa Municipality, noting that 22 of the evacuations were due to the overnight barrage, and the other four were due to additional hits early Monday morning.
Cluster munitions cause extensive damage in central Israel
A cluster munition launched from Iran later on Monday caused extensive damage to property in central Israel, especially in Ramat Gan, and moderately injured one person in his 40s.
Fire and Rescue Services said crews were working to rescue a person trapped under rubble at an impact site in Ramat Gan, adding that there were concerns that the building, which had been impacted, could collapse.
At least 15 impact sites reported across central Israel
Shrapnel from an intercepted Iranian ballistic missile hit at least 15 sites across central and northern Israel on Monday morning, Israeli media reported, adding that the missile barrage included a cluster munition.
At least one woman, approximately 34 years old, was seriously injured near Petah Tikva and was evacuated to the hospital for treatment of a chest injury caused by shrapnel, MDA confirmed.
However, her condition was later updated to moderate, a spokesperson for Rabin Medical Center said.
MDA later posted a photograph of a vehicle near Petah Tikva that was damaged by shrapnel near the scene of an impact, stating that someone was seriously injured in the incident.
The driver exited the vehicle according to Home Front Command's security guidelines, but the vehicle was hit by a fragment, causing shrapnel to injure them.
Another individual was reportedly lightly injured at the side of the road near Petah Tikva.
In Tel Aviv, a third individual was evacuated to the hospital after being lightly injured by falling shrapnel in the Tel Aviv area, MDA added.
MDA confirmed that emergency services were mobilized to extinguish vehicle fires caused by shrapnel and posted video footage of their firefighting efforts.
Footage shared by Israeli media appears to show property damage in the Tel Aviv area, including a burst water pipe.
Damage was also reported at a school in the Tel Aviv area, with photographs shared by Maariv appearing to show damage to the school's outer wall.
Additionally, shrapnel landed on the roof of a building, but caused no injuries, while another fragment hit a private home, also causing no injuries.
Sirens also sounded in the Beersheba area and Gaza border communities at approximately 8 a.m., but no instances of shrapnel or injuries were reported after the missile was successfully intercepted.
Hodaya Ran, Dr. Itay Gal, Yonah Jeremy Bob, Alon Hachmon, Batia Giladi, and Yoav Etiel contributed to this report.