Family in Acre home that took direct hit during Hezbollah attack didn’t have safe room, sheltered in small closet

A family of five in the coastal city of Acre whose home suffered a direct strike during the early morning Hezbollah attack on northern Israel was forced to shelter from the attack in a meter-wide wardrobe used to store shoes, a family member tells Channel 12.

Yuval, identified only by her first name, tells the news outlet that her family has no safe room in their home, and the nearest communal shelter is 30 seconds away, too far for them to reach once a siren is activated.

Instead, when there are sirens due to fire from Lebanon, all five family members cram inside the wardrobe, which she says can only fit two people comfortably at a time, and close the door.

She says that while in the wardrobe, they try to focus on making sure everyone is ok, both physically and mentally, due to the difficulty of the situation.

“If we don’t take care of ourselves, who will take care of us?” she asks rhetorically.

While sheltering this morning, a rocket hit their home, causing heavy damage throughout the house, Yuval says. She recalls seeing a flash of light and smoke through the crack in the wardrobe door, before the air filled with the smell of something burning.

After a few minutes, the family exited the wardrobe, deeming it safe to run to the communal shelter, where they would have more space.

Yuval tells Channel 12 that among the rooms in the home that suffered the most damage were the kitchen, the living room, and her sister’s bedroom.

“The damage is heavy, but I believe things will be ok,” she says. “It’s not pleasant to see your home like this. A home is supposed to be a place of refuge, a safe space.”