A basketball game between two Israeli women's teams was evacuated after Iranian missiles struck the country Tuesday.
Iran launched dozens of missiles against Israel in a barrage of strikes it says are in response to the deaths of Hezbollah and Hamas leaders.
Hapoel Lev Jerusalem was playing Hapoel Kfar Saba in the 2024-25 Preseason Winner Tournament at Malha Arena in Jersualem when the attacks began, according to The Jerusalem Post. The explosions began in the second quarter, with Hapoel Lev up 20. Then sirens rang out, and the players and coaches fled to a nearby bomb shelter. There were no reported casualties for either team.
"It’s a crazy situation and reality that we are in," said veteran Hapoel Lev player Shir Tirosh. "It’s crazy that we are still in this reality a year later, and it’s tough to begin the new season like this. And it’s very sad. There are sirens in Jerusalem, sirens in Tel Aviv, sirens in the entire country. It’s just a crazy reality. I think that what is keeping me level-headed is the fact that I am helping the foreigners on the team stay calm, because they are certainly more nervous than we are. I’m here to help them and stay positive about the situation that we are all in."
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Tracers from weapons are fired into the air in celebration of Iran's missile barrage on Israel over Beirut, Lebanon, Oct. 1, 2024. (Reuters/Louisa Gouliamaki)
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) warned citizens to shelter in place and follow instructions from the Home Front Command as the Jewish State's Iron Dome antimissile defense system works to intercept incoming rockets.
Tirosh added that she and her teammates have become more accustomed to preparing for attacks from foreign threats dating back to October 2023.
"The import players that are here are, for the most part, calm and understand what has been going on," she said. "When they arrived, they spoke to us that they weren’t that afraid to come to Israel despite the situation that the country has been in.
"We have been speaking to them a lot about what is going on. Last year, after Oct. 7, when we weren’t really prepared with how to deal with the situation, we had to act on our instincts with the foreigners. So, now we are much more prepared to handle that aspect. We are always explaining to them what is going on."
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said this latest barrage of missiles is in retaliation for the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut, Lebanon, in an Israeli airstrike late last week and the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July, according to Fox News Chief Foreign Correspondent Trey Yingst.
Israel's Iron Dome antimissile system intercepts rockets, as seen from Ashkelon, Israel, Oct. 1, 2024. (Reuters/Amir Cohen)
Iran's Revolutionary Guard warned in a statement released by Iranian state media that if Israel responds to the missile barrage, "it will face crushing attacks."
At least six Israeli people are already reported dead from Tuesday's attacks during a shooting in Tel Aviv.
Tirosh's teammate, Zoe Wadoux, said the fear of playing in Jersualem has been a strain on her and her family, but she wants them to know she is safe.
"I made the decision during the summer, and at that moment, the war wasn’t that bad. And when I got here, it got worse. Obviously, it’s tough on my family and friends and all of the people that love me at home to know that I am here. I tried to call them and reach out to them everyday to say that I am OK and that I am safe. But with these types of events, that will, of course, worry. But I am here, and I will try to do as much as I can to be safe and let them know that I am safe."
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Residents of Jerusalem take shelter during an Iranian missile barrage Oct. 1, 2024. (Credit Yoav Dudkevitch/TPS-IL)
Jewish American leaders on Tuesday afternoon reacted to Iran's unprecedented missile attack against Israel, saying the Islamist regime will pay.
"The United States stands with its only democratic ally in the Middle East, Israel, as it defends itself and its people against evil," Ohio Republican Rep. Max Miller told Fox News Digital in a statement. "Iran and its proxies must stop threatening the world."
In a Sept. 30 statement, Miller said, "Israel's efforts to dismantle Hezbollah are making the world a safer place."
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