Haifa Mayor: Injuries, widespread destruction, nothing is immune
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A missile from Iran struck Haifa’s lower city, damaging key buildings and prompting calls for urgent support and recovery.
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Israeli home front command units work in an unpopulated damaged building after it was hit by a missile fired from Iran, in Haifa, occupied Palestine, Friday, June 20, 2025 (AP)
An Iranian missile struck a building in Haifa's lower city this morning, causing extensive damage to surrounding streets, shops, and nearby structures within a radius of several hundred meters. The attack left scenes of devastation in the area.
Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav told Israeli newspaper Davar that while reconstruction efforts have begun, the visible damage remains widespread, stating: "Nothing is protected here. People are frightened, and rightfully so. We can only begin true recovery once this confrontation is over."
Yahav noted that municipal crews are gradually working to restore normalcy to the streets, but the most noticeable absence remains the city's residents, who typically flock to the area on Saturdays, with only a handful showing up at the cautiously reopened cafes and shops.
The newspaper reported that the Iranian missile hit a highly sensitive zone housing multiple government buildings and the Swiss Embassy's premises.
Mayor Yahav stated that he had received calls from the prime minister and several ministers, in which he asserted the urgent need for financial support to rebuild critical infrastructure, particularly road repairs, while adding, "If I were advising other mayors in targeted cities, I would tell them to station psychologists at the 106 emergency center to calm residents and prevent them from fleeing the city."
As fears among settlers escalate, growing demands are emerging for a comprehensive emergency plan to rehabilitate damaged settlements and address both the psychological and physical trauma suffered by residents, amid mounting concerns that the recent attack may mark only the beginning of a broader and more volatile security situation in the coming period.
Earlier on Saturday, Iranian media reported that Iran had launched its 18th wave of attacks under Operation True Promise 3, while the IRGC announced that the wave successfully targeted Israeli military sites and operational support centers.
The Islamic Revolution Guard Corps announced it had deployed a coordinated assault involving dozens of Shahed-136 kamikaze drones coupled with advanced precision missiles, asserting operational success through the confirmed destruction of all pre-selected strategic targets in the attack.
Iran has repeatedly barraged Haifa in its retaliatory strikes, causing significant damage to the Israeli economy after successfully hitting the Haifa oil refinery, a critical tenet of the Israeli oil industry.
