Authorities identify the four Israelis killed in Iranian missile attack on Beersheba
Eitan Zacks, 18, an off-duty soldier, died alongside his mother Michal, 50, and girlfriend Noa Boguslavsky, 18; Naomi Shaanan was killed in an adjacent apartment
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
An off-duty Israeli soldier was killed alongside his mother and young girlfriend early Tuesday in an Iranian ballistic missile attack on Beersheba, along with another woman in an adjacent apartment, authorities announced.
The soldier was named by the Israel Defense Forces as Cpl. Eitan Zacks, 18, a trainee in the elite Multidomain unit, from Beersheba.
He was at home for a paramedics course that had been held remotely due to the security situation.
He was killed alongside his mother, Michal Zacks, 50, in their family apartment, which was directly impacted by the missile.
Noa Boguslavsky, 18 years old and a 12th-grade student from nearby Arad, was killed alongside them. She was identified by Hebrew media as Eitan Zacks’s girlfriend.
The fourth victim was identified as Naomi Shaanan, a Beersheba resident, who was well known in the city for taking part in daily protests calling for the release of the hostages held in Gaza.
Boguslavsky and Michal and Eitan Zacks had entered their reinforced safe room upon hearing an initial siren, but left after they received an all-clear. They did not have time to return to the safe room following a second siren that came immediately preceding the impact, according to Eliana Zacks, Michal’s daughter and Eitan’s sister.
The father of the family was also home during the impact and was, for a time, trapped in rubble, but managed to extricate himself and survive, she told Ynet.
Two missiles were fired at Beersheba in a salvo at 5:40 a.m. One was intercepted, and the second struck the sixth floor of an apartment complex in the southern city, causing extensive destruction, including the collapse of part of the building.
The building was relatively new, and homes had their own reinforced rooms. However, the missile directly hit two safe rooms, according to a preliminary probe by the military’s Home Front Command. One of the bomb-safe rooms was destroyed by the impact, the probe found.
A total of 28 people were killed in Iran’s ballistic missile attacks since June 13. Apart from Cpl. Zacks, all were civilians.
The barrages came amid a war that opened when Israel attacked Iran earlier this month, characterizing its nuclear and ballistic missile programs as an existential threat that Jerusalem had to preempt.
On Tuesday, a US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Iran took effect, though the two sides exchanged fire in the hours after it began.
The Times of Israel Community.