The Arad municipality is set to begin demolishing buildings on Thursday that were heavily damaged by an Iranian missile strike on the city, marking the first stage in the recovery effort.
The move comes as hundreds of families remain displaced, still awaiting long-term housing solutions after being forced to evacuate their homes.
At the same time, engineers will begin reinforcing two additional buildings that were seriously damaged but remain structurally viable. These structures will undergo partial demolition and rehabilitation, as officials determined that full demolition is unnecessary.
The scale of the damage is significant. Around 1,500 apartments were affected to varying degrees, along with 30 public and educational facilities, including the city’s cultural hall and community center. In total, about 2,200 residents from 430 families were displaced.
A large portion of those affected, roughly 170 families, or about 1,500 individuals, belong to the Gur Hasidic community in Arad.
Currently, about half of the evacuees are being housed in hotels funded by the authorities, while the rest have arranged temporary accommodations with relatives or within their community.
Municipal figures indicate that 80 apartments are located in buildings slated for full demolition or major restoration, while another 120 units sustained such severe damage that residents are not expected to return in the near future.
In parallel, the municipality is working with the Urban Renewal Authority on a redevelopment plan for the affected area. A special planning team has been formed to redesign the neighborhood.
City officials emphasized that the effort goes beyond reconstruction, aiming to create a safer and more modern living environment, while working to help residents return to normal life as quickly as possible.