JERUSALEM — A rocket badly damaged a home in central Israel in the early hours of Thursday morning, blowing out walls, leaving furniture overturned and smashing a bedroom mirror, Reuters reports showed. The projectile struck the property in Haniel in what fire and rescue services called a “direct hit.” The Israeli military blamed Hezbollah. Homeowner Sigal Kolber, and her husband Dani, narrowly escaped the blast after initially sheltering in a safe room and then fleeing once the house filled with smoke. “There was an explosion – a huge boom. The door of the safe room really shook,” Sigal told Reuters, recalling how she turned to her husband and said something wasn’t right when she felt “dust, like smoke” in the air. “One of the neighbors was banging hysterically on the door ‘you have a fire in the house, you have to get out quickly. Quickly, get out of the house.’ And that’s it, we simply ran.” Video shows Israeli security officers assessing the damage, including an inspection of the attic, while emergency responders secure the scene. The strike also left a deep crater in the ground and brought down a tree, according to Reuters. Sirens sounded later in the Jerusalem district, where falling debris from an interception caused a fire in an open field, Israel Fire and Rescue Service said shortly before 10 a.m. No casualties were reported. — AgenciesJERUSALEM — A rocket badly damaged a home in central Israel in the early hours of Thursday morning, blowing out walls, leaving furniture overturned and smashing a bedroom mirror, Reuters reports showed. The projectile struck the property in Haniel in what fire and rescue services called a “direct hit.” The Israeli military blamed Hezbollah. Homeowner Sigal Kolber, and her husband Dani, narrowly escaped the blast after initially sheltering in a safe room and then fleeing once the house filled with smoke. “There was an explosion – a huge boom. The door of the safe room really shook,” Sigal told Reuters, recalling how she turned to her husband and said something wasn’t right when she felt “dust, like smoke” in the air. “One of the neighbors was banging hysterically on the door ‘you have a fire in the house, you have to get out quickly. Quickly, get out of the house.’ And that’s it, we simply ran.” Video shows Israeli security officers assessing the damage, including an inspection of the attic, while emergency responders secure the scene. The strike also left a deep crater in the ground and brought down a tree, according to Reuters. Sirens sounded later in the Jerusalem district, where falling debris from an interception caused a fire in an open field, Israel Fire and Rescue Service said shortly before 10 a.m. No casualties were reported. — Agencies
