Jerusalem, March 1 (NationPress) A tragic incident unfolded in the civilian neighborhood of Beit Shemesh, Israel, where an Iranian missile strike resulted in the deaths of nine individuals on Sunday, as reported by local news sources.

The missile impacted a residential sector, obliterating a synagogue and a public bomb shelter, while causing significant damage to surrounding homes, according to The Times of Israel.

Shmuel Greenberg, the Mayor of Beit Shemesh, conveyed that communication with 20 residents had been lost, though he emphasized this does not necessarily imply any harm to them.

In statements to the press, Greenberg remarked, "It’s possible that we’re unable to locate them, but we are exerting every effort to do so," as reported by The Times of Israel.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) accused Iran of deliberately targeting the civilian area of Beit Shemesh, resulting in the deaths of innocent people.

In a statement on social media platform X, the IDF asserted: "The Iranian regime directly launched missiles at the civilian neighborhood of Beit Shemesh, killing innocent civilians. The Iranian regime intentionally targets civilians while we focus on terror-related sites. This is the adversary we are confronting—a regime that exploits civilian casualties as a tactic in war."

Earlier that day, the IDF announced the deaths of Iranian Chief of Staff Abdolrahim Mousavi and several high-ranking Iranian security officials.

"Abdolrahim Mousavi, the Iranian Chief of Staff, was killed, along with 7 members of the elite Iranian security leadership in Tehran and 40 senior commanders," the IDF disclosed via X.

Moreover, the IDF reported that Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed within his leadership compound in central Tehran, a development the IDF claimed marked the conclusion of an extended period of terror directed at Israel.

The operation that led to Khamenei's death, executed by the US and Israel, is deemed a pivotal moment in the 46-year Shia-theocratic governance, igniting retaliatory actions throughout the Middle East.

Elaborating on the strike, the Israeli military explained: "The Air Force, based on precise intelligence from the Military Intelligence, conducted an attack on the leadership compound in central Tehran where he was residing with other senior officials."

They characterized Khamenei as the head of the so-called Iranian "terrorist regime" since 1989 and accused him of propagating an extremist ideology against Israel and Western nations. Additionally, they alleged he was "directly responsible for the violent repression of Iranian citizens for many years."

The IDF further claimed, "Khamenei devised the plan to annihilate the State of Israel, serving as the 'head of the Iranian octopus' that disseminated arms throughout the Middle East and to Israel's borders, led by the terrorist organization Hezbollah. The regime's leader bore responsibility for terrorist actions against Israel, with the blood of countless global citizens on his hands."

The military noted that this killing is part of a broader initiative targeting significant figures associated with what it refers to as the "Iranian terror axis."