Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in the southern city of Arad on Sunday morning to survey the heavy destruction caused by a direct Iranian missile strike on a residential neighborhood.
Standing amidst the rubble of damaged apartment buildings, the Prime Minister issued an urgent plea to the Israeli public to strictly adhere to Home Front Command directives, emphasizing that following safety protocols is the difference between life and death.
"Don't Rely Only on Miracles"
Pointing to a heavily damaged building and the adjacent reinforced shelter, Netanyahu illustrated how those who sought cover remained unharmed despite the severity of the blast.
"A miracle happened here; no one was killed," Netanyahu began. "But we do not want to rely only on miracles. There were ten full minutes from the moment of the alert until the missile impacted. The missile fell right here, between the buildings. If everyone had entered the protected spaces, the shelters that exist under every home here, no one would have been hurt."
The Shield That Works
The Prime Minister gestured toward the protective walls of a nearby shelter to demonstrate its effectiveness. "Notice the houses. If you go down to the shelter, this is the protective wall above it. Over there, you see the destruction. But here, nothing penetrates."
Reflecting on the civilian casualties since the start of the war, Netanyahu noted that out of the 15 citizens lost to missile fire, almost all fatalities occurred outside of protected spaces. He cited a single instance in Beit Shemesh where an older shelter was compromised, but reiterated that in every other case, those inside shelters were saved.
