A missile strike attributed to Iran has targeted a hospital in Beersheba, Israel, marking a significant moment in the escalating conflict that ignited on June 13. Iranian officials stated that the missile was aimed at a nearby military site rather than the hospital itself. According to Israel’s emergency services, Magen David Adom (MDA), the overnight assaults across various locations in Israel resulted in at least 89 injuries.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the developments by stating on X that the nation would hold “the tyrants in Tehran” fully accountable. Concurrently, the Israeli military announced strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, including the Arak heavy water reactor and the Natanz site.
The hostilities commenced with Israeli airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites that reportedly killed several prominent generals and nuclear experts. Sharren Haskel, Israel’s deputy foreign affairs minister, condemned the missile attack on Soroka Medical Centre as “deliberate” and “criminal.” She emphasized the facility’s role as the primary medical center serving the Negev region.
Following a visit to Soroka hospital, Israel’s defense minister Israel Katz declared that Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, “can no longer be allowed to exist,” citing Khamenei’s public desire to see Israel destroyed and his directive for attacks on hospitals.
Witnesses at the scene described extensive destruction, with debris and smoke lingering in the air long after the explosion. Hospital officials reported significant fire damage, leading to the complete destruction of several wards, smashing windows, and causing ceiling collapses. Around 200 patients are being transferred to alternative medical facilities, with Chief Executive Prof. Shlomi Codish noting uncertainty about potential further collapses of hospital structures.
In a separate incident, an Iranian ballistic missile struck a commercial district in Ramat Gan, located east of Tel Aviv, resulting in shattered glass from nearby skyscrapers and downed electrical pylons. Approximately 20 individuals sustained injuries from this explosion, according to local authorities.
In advance of Israel’s military actions, residents in Iranian cities near the Arak reactor were advised to evacuate immediately. The attacked nuclear sites included a partially constructed heavy-water reactor, which poses a risk of plutonium production usable in nuclear weapons. Iranian media confirmed that two projectiles impacted areas surrounding the facility without reports of radiation risks.
The Israeli military has also targeted facilities in Natanz, asserting that the site houses key equipment for nuclear weapons development. Allegations have been made against Iran for attempting to weaponize its enriched uranium, despite its insistence that its nuclear ambitions are purely for peaceful purposes. In retaliation, Iran’s armed forces vowed that their response to the Israeli strikes would have “no limits” and have submitted a complaint to the UN nuclear watchdog, accusing Israel of violating international laws regarding the protection of nuclear facilities.