Teen Killed in Car Crash During Rocket Alert Siren Was Son of Popular Israeli Singer

Jerusalem, 22 September, 2024 (TPS) -- A 17-year-old Israeli killed in a car accident during a rocket siren alert on Sunday was identified as Noam Yehiel, son of popular singer Erez Yehiel.

Noam was returning to his high school in Hadera after going to the grave of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yohai in Meron. The burial place of the Roman Era mystic is a popular location for selihot, special penitential prayers said during the month leading up to Rosh HaShanah, the Jewish new year.

The car crashed near the Zarzir interchange in the Jezreel Valley when sirens went off during a Hezbollah rocket barrage. Magen David Adom emergency responders declared Noam dead at the scene.

Noam’s father, Erez Yehiel, is a Hassidic singer well-known for songs based on verses from the Book of Psalms.

A 20-year-old passenger was evacuated to the Rambam Hospital in Haifa with moderate to serious injuries while two other passengers were treated at the scene for lighter injuries.

Yossi Fried, a volunteer from the ZAKA emergency response organization said, “When we arrived at the scene, we saw a private vehicle that collided violently with the fence on the side of the road. [Magen David Adom] medical staff had to confirm the death of a 17-year-old boy. ZAKA volunteers from the North District took care of honoring the dead and collecting the findings for burial.”

Police believe sirens triggered by a Hezbollah rocket barrage distracted the driver, causing him to lose control of his vehicle.

“We are at the scene of a very serious accident. We are investigating the suspicion that the accident occurred during a siren which sounded at 5:15 AM,” police officer Yaron Ben Yishai said.

Home Front Command guidelines instruct drivers hearing sirens to pull over to the side of the road and lie down on the ground outside the car.

Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah have soared in recent days.

On Monday, the Security Cabinet updated its official war goals to include the secure return of 60,000 evacuated northern residents to their homes.

On Tuesday, pagers belonging to Hezbollah operatives exploded across Lebanon and in Syria, injuring thousands. More Hezbollah figures were injured in a second wave of explosions on Wednesday. The Iran-backed terror group said 32 of its people were killed, a number that has not been independently verified. Israeli officials believe the death toll is higher than Hezbollah has indicated.

The blasts are widely attributed to Israel, but Jerusalem has not commented.

On Thursday, two Israeli soldiers were killed along the northern border in Hezbollah missile and drone attacks.

An Israeli airstrike in Beirut on Friday killed 16 senior terrorists, eliminating most of the elite Radwan Force’s chain of command.

Northern residents were forced to evacuate their homes when Hezbollah began launching rockets and drones in October. The terror group has launched more than 6,700 rockets and drones, killing 26 civilians and 22 soldiers on the Israeli side. Hezbollah leaders have said they will continue the attacks to prevent Israelis from returning to their homes, which Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah reiterated in a speech on Thursday night.

Israeli officials have been calling for Hezbollah to be disarmed and removed from southern Lebanon in compliance with UN Security Council resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Second Lebanon War.

Israel’s three other official war goals are the eradication of Hamas’s military and governing capabilities, the return of all hostages, and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel.

At least 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 97 remaining hostages, more than 30 have been declared dead. Hamas has also been holding captive two Israeli civilians since 2014 and 2015, and the bodies of two soldiers killed in 2014.