Iranian Missile Penetrates Defenses in Eshtaol Today, 11 Injured

An Iranian ballistic missile slammed into the central Israeli community of Eshtaol on Saturday, causing significant structural damage and lightly wounding 11 people in the first confirmed direct hit on a populated area during Iran’s latest missile barrage against Israel.

Israel’s national rescue service, Magen David Adom, said all 11 victims suffered light injuries, some from the blast and shrapnel and others while rushing to bomb shelters. Among those hurt were a 75-year-old man whose roof collapsed and a 47-year-old man struck by a blown-off doorway, medics reported. No fatalities were recorded.

Rescue teams found two impact craters roughly 10 meters (33 feet) apart inside the moshav, a rural cooperative community located about 25 kilometers (15 miles) west of Jerusalem near Beit Shemesh. Damage extended in a radius of around 150 meters (490 feet), collapsing roofs, destroying dozens of vehicles and damaging homes, a synagogue and a parking area, according to first responders and local media.

The Israel Defense Forces confirmed the projectile was an Iranian ballistic missile carrying a conventional warhead. Air-defense systems attempted to intercept it, but the military said it penetrated Israeli defenses. The IDF is investigating the apparent failure to shoot down the incoming missile.

The strike occurred amid a broader Iranian missile and drone assault on Israel Saturday as the month-old U.S.-Israeli war with Iran enters a more intense phase. Sirens sounded across central Israel, and Israeli officials have not yet announced a specific response to the Eshtaol attack.

The incident comes hours after Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels claimed their first missile strike on Israel since the current conflict began, further widening the regional battlefield.

Eshtaol, a quiet agricultural moshav, had been considered relatively safe from previous rocket and drone attacks. Saturday’s direct hit underscored the reach of Iran’s ballistic-missile arsenal even as Israeli and U.S. forces continue to target Iranian launch sites and proxy forces across the region.

No immediate comment was available from Iranian officials on the Eshtaol strike. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has not issued a statement on the incident. Oil prices edged higher in early trading on renewed fears of escalation that could disrupt shipping lanes or draw in additional Iranian allies.

The attack is the latest in a series of Iranian attempts to strike Israeli population centers since the war erupted last month. Israeli officials have vowed to respond forcefully to any breach of its defenses.