On Tuesday morning, a couple went out for their usual walk, only to be taken aback by the sight of a large section of a ballistic missile that had crashed through their roof, narrowly avoiding them.
The missile was launched overnight from Yemen by the Houthi rebels, but was intercepted by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
Despite the interception, fragments from the missile fell in Mevo Beitar, a neighborhood on the outskirts of Jerusalem, with one sizable chunk striking the house of Zvika and Michal Wexler.
Michal shared that, like many other Israelis, the family had been jolted awake by the sound of sirens warning of the missile attack. They quickly retreated to their safe room, a reinforced area designed in newer homes in Israel to withstand such threats.
Michal recalled that they didn’t hear anything out of the ordinary. Even though the interception usually causes loud explosions that can be heard by residents, even in their sealed safe rooms, they heard nothing.
What they were unaware of was that a piece of the Houthi missile had fallen and crashed through their 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 explained that the missile fragment, which measured 13 feet in length, had punctured the roof and 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.
Michal mentioned that a former local security official, now retired, helped them identify the debris as a missile section.
“It is not a small piece, but we didn’t hear too much during the night,” she said.
Zvika added that an inspection of the house is underway to ensure it’s safe for the family to return.
“Aside from the unpleasantness of having a rocket land on your head, everything is okay,” he said.
The Israel Defense Forces Home Front Command continues to recommend that residents stay in their safe rooms or bomb shelters for at least 10 minutes after hearing sirens, in order to protect themselves from any potential falling debris, as well as from missiles, rockets, and drones.

{Matzav.com Israel}