A Canadian family in Israel said it was business as usual after the attack

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Leah Appel was jolted awake at about 1:45 a.m. Sunday by the rumbling sounds and tremors that rocked her apartment building in Jerusalem.

Unbeknownst to him at the time, Iran had launched drones and missiles at targets inside Israel, a move that observers around the world fear could lead to a sharp escalation in regional tensions over the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. .

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Appel, a Montreal resident who moved to Israel with her husband after the Oct. 7 attack on that country, said the weekend Iranian attack in Canada was unlike anything she had ever experienced.

“It felt like 1,000 tons fell on the apartment above ours and our whole room shook,” he said, calling from Jerusalem.

“I said (to my husband), 'Moses, what is this?' I said. He opened the window, there was only fire in the sky.

The sound of warning sirens soon prompted Appeller and their two children to grab bags of food and clothing and descend into the apartment's bomb shelter.

As Israeli forces and their allies intercepted 99 percent of the nearly 300 shells fired at Israeli targets, the Appels and other families in their building huddled together to share food and comfort the frightened children.

Finally, Moshe Appel, along with a few others, went out to check on the neighbors.

At 2:30 a.m. he said the sky was clear and all was quiet.

Despite the quick decision, Moshe Appel said the Iranian attack was the most intense the family had witnessed since emigrating from Canada three months ago.

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“It was a very serious attack,” he said. “These were hundreds of drones and missiles that could have caused significant damage if we didn't have the defense system in Israel.”

The attack comes less than two weeks after an airstrike blamed on Israel destroyed Iran's consulate in Syria and killed two Iranian generals.

Moshe Appel said Israel's Iron Dome, the country's anti-missile defense system, makes him feel safer in the nation's capital than he does in Canada.

Sunday was the first day of the Israeli work week, and despite the sleep disturbance, he said, life in Jerusalem had resumed without losing its normal rhythm.

“On Sunday morning around 8 o'clock, people were in cafes, people were in the park, people were getting on the bus and going to work. “They were preparing for Passover, it was business as usual,” he said.

“Well, the siren went off, everything is fine. Everything is fine now. It's time to go to work. That's exactly the case here.”

Leah Appel said her 10-year-old son fell asleep on a mattress in the building's bomb shelter as soon as she covered him with a blanket.

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“He knew he was safe among his friends,” she said. “He fell asleep with it. He woke up this morning and went to the park.”

The couple's 11-year-old daughter was closely following the news. She went to bed dressed and got up and packed her first aid kit so she could leave immediately.

Appeller said the Iranian attack represents the worst and “really hope” that tensions begin to ease.

They described the attack as “upsetting” and said it could destroy holy sites important to Muslims, Christians and Jews.

“My understanding is that Israel wants to retaliate. The world at large tells us not to. I'm not sure about the wisdom on one hand,” Leah Appel said.

“If we don't retaliate, it will allow (Israel's enemies) to rebuild and attack us again. If we retaliate, it diverts our resources away from our current focus. I don't think it's good because you really don't want war. Is that right? Nobody ever wants war.”

Back in Canada on Sunday, the Iranian attack led to a long night of mixed emotions for Frances Weil. The president of Moncton's Jewish community watched the unfolding drama on television from his home in New Brunswick and fielded dozens of messages from those who feared the attack would cause harm.

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But Weil said he “believes” Israel has systems in place to stop the attack.

“My reaction was basically that Iran didn't understand why they were wasting their time and money shooting at Israel,” he said. “It was clear to me that this thing was not going to work.”

And the news of Iran's attack in Tehran was a surprise for Alireza Gandhi.

Richmond Hill, Ont., visited his parents in the Iranian capital during Ramadan. The resident said that most of the people there do not see the point of such an attack. He described effort as a show of strength and power rather than something substantial.

However, he admitted in an interview that the attack could provoke retaliation from Israel. A senior minister in the country's war cabinet said on Sunday that Israel would “take the price from Iran in a way and at a time that suits us.”

Gandhi said the mood in Tehran was one of fear, and residents feared an attack at night.

“People are tense and they are worried … I hope everything will be calm.”

With Associated Press files.

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