Jerusalem, As many as nine people were killed in an Iranian missile strike on the civilian neighbourhood of Beit Shemesh in Israel on Sunday, local media reported.

The missile hit a residential area in the city, destroying a synagogue and a public bomb shelter while nearby homes suffered extensive damage, The Times of Israel reported.

Beit Shemesh Mayor Shmuel Greenberg said that they have not been able to contact 20 residents. He stated that it “does not necessarily mean anything happened to them”.

Speaking to reporters, Greenberg said: “It could very well be that we’re not finding them, but we are doing everything we can,” according to the Times of Israel.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) accused Iran of firing missiles towards the civilian neighbourhood of Beit Shemesh, killing innocent civilians.

In a statement shared on X, it said: “The Iranian Regime directly fired missiles toward the civilian neighborhood of Beit Shemesh, killing innocent civilians. The Iranian regime purposely targets civilian targets while we precisely target terror targets. This is who we’re operating against—a regime who uses civilian casualties as their war tactic.”

UAE says three killed in Iran strikes; Indian, Sri Lankan among those injured

Abu Dhabi, The UAE’s Ministry of Defence on Sunday announced that its air defences have so far dealt with 165 ballistic missiles, two cruise missiles, and 541 Iranian drones.

According to the ministry, one Pakistani, Nepali, and Bangladeshi were killed in airstrikes while there were 58 cases of minor injuries of Emirati, Egyptian, Ethiopian, Filipino, Pakistani, Iranian, Indian, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Azerbaijani, Yemeni, Ugandan, Eritrean, Lebanese, and Afghan nationalities.

The ministry stated that the UAE on the second day of the Iranian attack was successful in destroying 20 ballistic missiles and the downing of eight missiles into the sea, destroying two cruise missiles and 311 drones, while 21 drones hit civilian targets.

In a statement, it said: “The ministry clarified that since the start of the Iranian attack on 2026/02/28, 165 ballistic missiles launched from Iran toward the country were detected, of which 152 were destroyed, while 13 fell into the sea, as well as 2 cruise missiles were detected and destroyed, and 541 Iranian drones were detected, of which 506 were intercepted and destroyed, while 35 fell within the country’s territory, causing material damage, and resulting in 3 deaths of Pakistani, Nepalese, and Bangladeshi nationalities, and 58 cases of minor injuries of Emirati, Egyptian, Ethiopian, Filipino, Pakistani, Iranian, Indian, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Azerbaijani, Yemeni, Ugandan, Eritrean, Lebanese, and Afghan nationalities.”

The UAE’s Ministry of Defence stated that some debris fell in scattered areas of the UAE after air defence systems intercepted ballistic missiles and drones, resulting in minor and moderate material damage in a number of civilian properties. It urged people to obtain information from official sources in the country and avoid circulating rumours or unverified information

The ministry said that “it is on high alert and readiness to deal with any threats, and confirmed that the safety of citizens, residents, and visitors represents the utmost priority that cannot be compromised.”