Iran strikes synagogue bomb shelter in Beit Shemesh residential neighborhood, killing nine Israeli civilians

At approximately 2:00 PM local time on March 1, 2026, an Iranian ballistic missile struck the Tiferet Israel synagogue in the Ramat Lehi neighborhood of Beit Shemesh, destroying the building and the reinforced bomb shelter beneath it. Nine civilians were killed and 46 injured; two interceptors had been launched against the incoming missile but failed to stop it. Amnesty International called for investigation of the strike as a potential war crime, noting the site was a civilian shelter with no military value. The strike demonstrated the limits of Iron Dome and Arrow against high-trajectory ballistic missiles at close range.