‘You can hear the bombs’: KSAT interview with Israeli civilians hiding in ditch during Iranian rocket fire

Iran launched at least 180 missiles into Israel as retaliation for assassination of Hezbollah leaders

Iran launched at least 180 missiles at Israel on Tuesday, almost all of which were intercepted by Israel with the help of the United States.

The Israeli Defense Forces reported several minor injuries from shrapnel.

Iran claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was a retaliation for Israel killing Hezbollah leaders within the last week.

Hezbollah is a recognized terror organization in Lebanon that has been trading attacks with Israel for months now.

Israel has already been fighting against the terrorist group Hamas after its surprise attack on Oct. 7, 2023.

Tuesday, in the middle of Iran’s attack, KSAT reporter Courtney Friedman interviewed an Israeli man who was hiding in a ditch on the side of the road as missiles flew overhead.

“It doesn’t matter how prepared you are. When it comes, it’s really scary,” said Moshe Nov.

Nov and his friend Dani Amber were driving home from a wedding when the missiles started flying in from Iran. They bailed and looked for cover.

At the beginning of the video call, missiles are seen behind Nov, being intercepted by the Iron Dome and exploding overhead.

“It’s not on top of my head, but it sounds like it. You see light like a fire in the sky and the sound of it is enormous. You can hear the bombs,” Nov and Amber said.

By the time the conversation was being recorded, the skies had fallen quiet, and Nov was able to show why he had a small sense of safety.

“We are in a ditch made of concrete,” Nov said, handing the phone over so Amber could show how large the ditch was.

“See how wide? How high?” Nov said, showing the concrete coming up to neck level.

The ditch was directly next to the main road they were driving down when the sirens sounded.

“We are lucky! I’m telling you, we are very lucky,” he said.

They were in a peculiar situation because they knew that when the sirens went off, they needed to find a bunker, but there was not one near them.

Israel’s Iron Dome mobile system intercepts missiles and, with help from the United States, was able to deflect most of them; however, there is still danger.

“You might not get hit by the rocket, but even the Iron Dome, when it hits a target, there are all kinds of metal pieces falling from the sky. We know to wait at least 10 minutes until the siren is over so we will be safe, and nobody gets harmed,” he said.

Nov is known for his grassroots peace-keeping efforts across the region, and he isn’t the only one who wants this violence to end.

“Not just us, the people of Israel. All the region. I spoke to people living in Lebanon. We speak to people in neighboring countries. They want it to end, and they want to live their normal lives like everybody wants,” he said.

He said peace is his primary hope.

“Absolutely, but we want peace, not two years or a year. We want peace so we can raise our children and grandchildren,” Nov said.

Nov’s son and grandchild, along with other family, huddled safely in their bunker at home during the attack.

After the skies cleared, he rushed to reunite with them.

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the attack by Iran was “effectively defeated.”

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the attack, saying, “Iran made a big mistake tonight, and it will pay for it.” The U.S. said it would support Israel.


About the Authors

Courtney Friedman anchors KSAT’s weekend evening shows and reports during the week. Her ongoing Loving in Fear series confronts Bexar County’s domestic violence epidemic. She joined KSAT in 2014 and is proud to call the SA and South Texas community home. She came to San Antonio from KYTX CBS 19 in Tyler, where she also anchored & reported.

Rick Medina is a Video News Editor at KSAT. A graduate of the University of Texas' prestigious Radio-Television-Film program, he has been in the news business for more than 20 years. Rick is also a documentary filmmaker, helming the award-winning film festival favorites, “The Opossum Begins” and “Amigoland.” He is originally from Brownsville.

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