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Jerusalem – After a period of tense but relative quiet, Israel awoke Thursday to the harsh reality that the threat from Iran remains far from over. In a sudden and coordinated overnight assault, Iran launched approximately 30 rockets at Israel, seven of which struck populated areas. Among the hardest hit were Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan, Holon, and Beersheba—where the Soroka Medical Center sustained a direct hit, forcing partial evacuation and the transfer of dozens of patients to hospitals across the country.

Israeli officials report at least 147 people injured, with 89 of those in the greater Tel Aviv area and 40 in Beersheba. Six are in critical condition. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that Iran fired at least one ballistic missile equipped with a cluster munition warhead. As it descended over central Israel, the warhead fragmented at an altitude of about seven kilometers, dispersing more than 20 submunitions over an eight-kilometer radius. One struck a residential building in the city of Azor.

The timing caught many Israelis off guard. Just one day earlier, the IDF’s Home Front Command had relaxed security guidelines, allowing many civilians to return to work under cautious conditions. “We were just starting to feel safer,” said a resident of Holon whose apartment was hit. “We had no idea something like this was coming.”

Despite the devastation, many lives were spared thanks to widespread use of in-home shelters, a grim but lifesaving fixture in Israeli residential architecture. “They heard the alarm, went to the shelter, and thus saved their lives,” said the commander of the Home Front Command, praising the discipline shown by civilians.

Still, the shock runs deep. Ramat Gan, already targeted once earlier in the week, saw at least 20 buildings damaged. A missile strike just meters away from foreign embassies caused panic and confusion, although early rumors that the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange had been hit proved false. In Beersheba, the symbolic blow to Soroka Hospital—a key facility serving Jewish, Arab, and Bedouin communities alike—was seen as a deliberate provocation.

A woman quoted by Ynet said she sheltered with her daughter for the first time in her life. “No home, but alive. I’m grateful to our security forces,” she said. Another man told Walla News, “I went into the shelter for the first time in my life, and then a rocket hit my house. It’s crazy.”

Thursday’s barrage follows a week of rising tension and tit-for-tat strikes between Israel and Iran. While Israeli airstrikes have reportedly destroyed a significant portion of Iran’s missile launch capacity, this latest attack suggests Tehran retains a dangerous capability to escalate. According to a Wall Street Journal report, Israel’s air defense missile supply is under strain, raising concerns that the system could become overwhelmed by a combined assault of drones and ballistic missiles—precisely the strategy deployed by Iran overnight.

While Israeli officials remain resolute, the mood in the country is one of deep unease. The quiet has been broken again, and with it, the illusion of control.