A couple who went out for a morning stroll Tuesday was surprised to discover that a large section of a ballistic missile had smashed through the roof of their home, narrowly missing them.
The missile was fired at Israel overnight by Yemen’s Houthi rebels and successfully intercepted by the Israel Defense Forces.
However, debris after the interception landed in Mevo Beitar, a community on the outskirts of Jerusalem, with a large piece hitting the home of Zvika and Michal Wexler, the Ynet outlet reported.
Michal explained that like millions of other Israelis, the family was woken during the night by sirens that alerted them of the missile attack. They quickly sought refuge in their safe room, a thick-walled area built into newer Israeli homes.
Michal said the family did not hear any unusual noise. Loud booms from an interception are often heard by residents on the ground, even inside sealed safe rooms.
Unbeknown to the family, a section of the Houthi missile plunged from the sky and landed on their home, smashing through the roof.
“We went out in the morning as usual for a walk and we saw some debris damage” on the ground, Michal said. “Only when we looked up did we see the rocket on the roof of our house.”
Zvika said the rocket section, four meters (13 feet) in length, pierced the roof but landed on top of the safe room below.
“If it had fallen on another part of the roof I don’t know how things would have ended,” he said.
According to Michal, a helpful former local security official identified the debris as a rocket section, the report said.
“It is not a small piece, but we didn’t hear too much during the night,” she said.
Zvika said the home is being assessed to determine if it is safe for the family to go back inside.
“Aside from the unpleasantness of having a rocket land on your head, everything is okay,” he said.
The Israel Defense Forces Home Front Command advises people to remain in their safe rooms or bomb shelters for 10 minutes after sirens go off as a precaution against falling debris as well as rockets, missiles and drones.
There have been a number of incidents of damage, injuries, and even death from falling debris.
Iran-backed Houthis fired two missiles at Israel Monday night and early Tuesday morning.
According to the military, the Houthis have launched some 40 ballistic missiles at Israel since fellow Iran-backed terror group Hamas invaded Israel on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, starting the ongoing multifront war.
Israel and Western allies have carried out several sorties against Houthi targets in Yemen, but they have failed to stem the attacks.
The Yemeni rebels have also been firing at ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden — destabilizing a vital shipping lane and prompting reprisal strikes by the United States and sometimes Britain against Houthi targets. The Houthis have pledged to continue the attacks until there is a ceasefire in Gaza.