‘Tyrants in Tehran will pay’: Netanyahu after Iran strikes Israeli hospital

Tel Aviv: An Iranian missile struck the Soroka Medical Center in Beer Sheva, southern Israel, early Thursday, wounding several people and inflicting heavy damage. The hospital, which serves over a million people, had to shut its doors to all but the most critical cases.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the attack in a statement posted to social media, declaring that the “tyrants in Tehran” would “pay a heavy price.” He confirmed that civilians in central Israel were also targeted in a wave of missile strikes, including damage to residential buildings near Tel Aviv, with at least 40 people injured.

In retaliation, Israel struck Iran’s Arak heavy water nuclear reactor. The Israeli military said the facility was targeted specifically to destroy components essential for plutonium production, thereby halting any potential revival of Iran’s nuclear weapons capabilities. Iran confirmed the attack but claimed there was no radiation risk and that the plant had been evacuated prior to the strike.

The missile exchange comes amid an already high-stakes standoff between the two countries, now in its seventh day. Israel has also targeted Iran’s enrichment site in Natanz and other nuclear-linked infrastructure, while Iran has launched over 400 missiles and hundreds of drones toward Israeli territory.

Meanwhile, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has raised concerns about further strikes on nuclear facilities, as tensions rise with no signs of de-escalation.
(With AFP inputs)