Israeli couple marries in bomb shelter as Iranian missiles rain down

An Israeli couple tied the knot in a bomb shelter rather than at a popular wedding location in Hadera, a coastal town north of Tel Aviv, as a result of Iranian missile attacks, the Israel Hayom newspaper reported.

The newspaper named the couple as Omer, 29, and Shir, 30.

The couple had considered postponing the ceremony by a month, Shir told television broadcaster N12, but after consultation with the officiating rabbi had decided to proceed with a ceremony when the Hadera authorities offered a bomb shelter as a venue.

The ceremony passed off without an air-raid alarm. War restrictions mean that the Israeli population cannot hold large gatherings in the open.

"We did something like this for the first time, and we are proud of it," Hadera Mayor Nir Ben Haim told the newspaper. Israeli television broadcast part of the ceremony, which was attended by a number of guests.

Air-raid sirens have sounded regularly throughout Israel since Iran began responding to Israeli air attacks that began in the early hours of Friday. Israelis have been forced to seek shelter from the attacks.

Iranian cities by contrast tend to lack both a warning system and bomb shelters.