This is the moment two loved-up newlyweds were forced to move their first dance into an underground shelter because Iran was firing missiles at Israel.
The touching scene showed the couple slow dancing in the cramped and dusty shelter as their wedding guests looked on and filmed the romantic moment.
Dressed in their wedding finery, they held each other as they swayed to music which appeared to be coming out of a mobile phone one of the guests was holding aloft.
The emotional video was filmed in an underground shelter near one of the biggest hotels in Jerusalem, the Notre Dam, where it is understood the couple were staying.
The couple, alongside hundreds of thousands of other Israelis, were forced into the bunker after Iran unleashed a barrage of 181 missiles missiles across the country on Tuesday night.
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The touching scene showed the couple slow dancing in the cramped and dusty shelter as their wedding guests looked on and filmed the romantic moment
Dressed in their wedding finery, they held each other as they swayed to music which appeared to be coming out of a mobile phone one of the guests was holding aloft
Projectiles pictured being intercepted by Israel above Jerusalem on Tuesday night
It was a worrying development in the Middle Eastern conflict, and caused air raid sirens to be sounded as the missiles began raining down on Israel, with some rockets dramatically exploding into bright orange flames.Â
But amidst the destruction and war, the video has been seen as a poignant example of love in the face of adversity and has gone viral – racking up 1.2million views in five hours.
It was shared by the Bible scholar and author Saul Sadka on Twitter/X, alongside the comment: ‘Iran couldn’t stop the joy at this Jerusalem wedding even for a moment. (love heart emoji).’
A number of social media users replied to give their best wishes to the couple and praise them for continuing to dance despite the war raging above them.
Jerry Daniels said: ‘Mazel Tov to the beautiful couple!!’
Another person wrote: ‘They will remember this moment forever.’
Polly Rendall commented: ‘Lovely capture Saul. Israelis are super strong. Congratulations to the couple.’
The video was shared by the Bible scholar and author Saul Sadka on Twitter/X
A number of social media users gave their best wishes to the couple
The emotional video was filmed in an underground shelter near one of the biggest hotels in Jerusalem, the Notre Dam, where it is understood the couple were staying
Men, women and children take shelter as air raid sirens sounded across Israel
People take shelter during an air raid siren, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel
A missile is launched during a military exercise in an undisclosed location in the south of Iran, in this handout image obtained on January 19, 2024
A user called Richard simply posted: ‘Beautiful.’
Shelly wrote: ‘May they have many happy years together.’Â
The sickening attack, which Israel has vowed to exact revenge for, forced civilians to seek shelter as huge chunks of molten metal crashed to the ground.Â
But the remarkably minimal impact of the barrage of missiles was in part due to Israel’s sophisticated warning systems, its shelters and air defence networks such as the Iron Dome and David’s Sling.
The expected assault, hailed as ‘heroic’ by Iran-backed Hamas, marks a major escalation in the Middle East, and was ‘twice the scope’ of Tehran’s bombardment in April, which saw more than 170 explosive drones and 120 ballistic missiles launched.
In a major embarrassment for Iran, the US said that the missile volley was ‘defeated and ineffective’, with just one reported death – a Palestinian man who was killed by shrapnel in the West Bank.
Despite Iran claiming a new type of hypersonic missile was also used for the first time, IDF Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said there were no Israeli casualties and just a few hits in the centre of the country and in the south.Â
‘We are on high alert both defensively and offensively,’ Hagari said in a TV broadcast. ‘We will defend the citizens of the State of Israel. This attack will have consequences. We have plans, and we will operate at the place and time we decide.’
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Iran’s massive missile attack on Israel ‘a big mistake’ and vowed to make Tehran ‘pay for it’.
US national security adviser Jake Sullivan condemned the ‘significant escalation by Iran’, but added: ‘In short, this attack seems to have been defeated and ineffective’.
And British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who was on the phone to his Israeli counterpart Netanyahu when the attack began, said: ‘I am deeply concerned that the region is on the brink and I am deeply concerned about the risk of miscalculation.’
With the world holding its breath over an all-out war in the Middle East, the White House said President Joe Biden had ordered the US military to ‘aid Israel’s defence’ and shoot down Iranian missiles.
