The Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency service says another 28 people were injured by the impact.
Published March 1, 2026
At least nine people were killed after an Iranian missile attack on the central Israeli city of Beit Shemesh, as Tehran continues to launch retaliatory strikes a day after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in attacks between the United States and Israel.
The Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency service said on Sunday that nine people were killed and 28 others were injured by the impact, including two who are in serious condition.
The Israeli military said in a statement that search and rescue teams and a helicopter to evacuate the wounded are currently operating in Beit Shemesh, and the army spokesman added that the circumstances of the Iranian ballistic missile impact are under review.
Reporting from Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh explained that Sunday’s casualties are Israel’s “highest toll” since the attacks began on Saturday.
“What is worrying residents right now is that rescuers are still working to rescue people trapped under the rubble, so there is concern and fear that this count could increase. And there are questions about why the sirens did not sound in Beit Shemesh,” Odeh said.
“This is one of the big risks Israel is taking by starting a war with Iran: missiles continue to reach Israeli cities from Iran, and Israel has to fire all those missiles in response, at the risk of losing them, like in Beit Shemesh and in Tel Aviv.”
On Saturday, Israel and the United States launched continued attacks against Iran, resulting in the assassination of Khamenei and other senior Iranian officials.
As a 40-day mourning period was announced on Sunday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera that Khamenei’s assassination “will make the confrontation more complex and dangerous.”
“We have no restrictions or limits to defend ourselves,” Araghchi said.
“If their goal is to change our regime, it is an impossible task. They cannot do it: we have a solid system and a strong constitution.”
Similarly, President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a televised speech on Sunday that despite his death, the country would follow in Khamenei’s footsteps and Iran’s enemies would be left “hopeless.”
