Israeli Kindergarten Evacuated Just in Time as Hezbollah Drone Strikes Classroom

An Israeli kindergarten class narrowly escaped a Hezbollah drone strike on Tuesday after quick-thinking teachers moved the children to a shelter upon hearing distant sirens.

The drone, which bypassed Israel’s missile defence system, struck just outside the kindergarten in Nesher, detonating moments after the children and staff had taken cover, as reported by ‘The Times of Israel’.

A kindergarten in Nesher, Israel, was hit with a Hezbollah drone on Tuesday. REUTERS

Sarah Yasour, one of the teachers, recounted the incident, explaining that she and her colleagues initially heard a faint siren from a nearby town. “We heard a very distant siren… and said, ‘Alright, let’s go in,’” Yasour told reporters. “We’re not taking any chances now, and within a few seconds, we were all in the shelter.” Moments later, she recalled hearing a loud explosion and realising it was nearby. “Only when we got out did we realise the scale of the miracle. It hit exactly where we had been.”

Staff and students had taken shelter moments before the UAV struck exploded near the school. Israel Police

No injuries were reported among the children or staff, though the blast caused extensive damage to the classroom and nearby playground. Video footage from KANN, a local broadcaster, showed glass and debris scattered throughout the area.

Nesher’s Mayor, Roy Levy, commended the teachers’ quick decision-making and noted that the city had not received a specific alert before the drone attack. “We did not have an alert before the UAV exploded near the kindergarten,” Levy explained, emphasising the fortunate timing of the teachers’ actions.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are investigating why no sirens were triggered directly in Nesher. However, alarms had sounded in other areas of northern Israel, including Western Galilee and cities near Haifa, as the Israeli Air Force scrambled to intercept the drone.

Teacher Sarah Yasour said she heard a faint siren going off in the neighboring town and decided not to take any chances. News 12

This incident is part of a series of intensified Hezbollah attacks on Israel, which began on October 8, 2023. The IDF reported that the drone strike on the kindergarten was one of approximately 190 rockets and uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) launched by Hezbollah on Monday. The attacks have caused significant damage to buildings and vehicles in northern Israel, injuring seven civilians and putting communities on high alert.

Officials are investigating why the sirens didn’t go off in Nesher to alert the down of the incoming UAV.

Since the conflict escalated in early October, Hezbollah’s ongoing strikes have killed 41 civilians in northern Israel, according to IDF sources. In addition, approximately 62 IDF soldiers and reservists have been killed in cross-border attacks and ground operations that began in Lebanon in September.