Entire Neighborhoods Gone: The Israeli Rescue Teams Facing Apocalyptic Sights Caused by Iran - Israel News - Haaretz.com

Jun 26, 2025

Israel's orange helmets: The Home Front Command's rescue teams have been deployed worldwide to assist with disasters. Now they face disasters at home. 'People standing in front of a building that has been hit do not know what to do. We run inside'

They can be recognized from a distance: orange spots against a backdrop of cement and rubble, running around between houses and cars, knocking on doors, marking areas as "searched" in graffiti and peeping into every car to make sure no one is in it. Some are holding heavy machinery, others are carrying just a notebook and pen. They are looking for witnesses and residents of neighboring buildings, but mainly for trapped people. In a military whose wartime job is to destroy, they are trying to save lives.