An Iranian missile struck the main hospital in southern Israel early Thursday, resulting in numerous individuals suffering minor injuries, causing considerable damage, and prompting Israeli officials to swiftly pledge to escalate attacks on Iran’s military and ‘government targets.’ The Israeli defense chief accused Iran of committing war crimes and asserted that its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, would be held responsible.
Israeli media showed images of shattered windows and thick black smoke billowing from the upper floors of the Soroka Medical Center; however, a hospital spokesperson confirmed that there were no serious injuries among patients or staff, as the area directly impacted had already been evacuated.
Another missile hit a high-rise building and several other residential structures in at least two locations near Tel Aviv.
According to Israel’s Ministry of Health, a total of 271 individuals were injured due to the Iranian missile strikes on Thursday, with four suffering serious injuries. The attack on the Soroka hospital led to 71 people experiencing minor injuries, as reported by the ministry.
According to Reports on Thursday morning, Tel Aviv was ablaze with a sequence of explosions as Israel’s air defence systems intercepted most of the recent wave of Iranian missiles.
A missile that successfully avoided detection hit a high-rise building in the city, leaving several individuals trapped in their apartments as first responders rushed to offer help.
A father felt overwhelmed, relieved and happy upon being reunited with his family, which included his 10-month-old baby and his wife, who had been missing for more than an hour following the attack.
Just before 6 a.m. local time on Friday, the Israel Defense Forces shared on social media that Iran had fired more missiles towards Israel, triggering emergency alerts in various parts of the country.
Israel issues a warning regarding a “new threat posed by cluster bombs” fired by Iran
Israel’s Home Front Command issued an online statement revealing that one of the missiles fired by Iran on Thursday was classified as a “dispersal munition.” This missile is engineered to deploy approximately 20 smaller bombs from an altitude of about four miles as it approaches its target, potentially inflicting damage over a radius of roughly five miles. Each of these smaller bombs can inflict damage equal to that of a short-range rocket.
The geographical threat is wider — but it’s much less than the warheads of ballistic missiles, which usually weigh about 400 kg (882 pounds),” the Home Front Command explained.
The Command, which is a component of Israel’s national defense forces, announced the launching of a public awareness campaign in response to the “emerging threat of cluster bombs” launched by Iran. They warned anyone who comes across an unexploded bomb “to be careful, keep a safe distance, and not to touch it – and to also inform the authorities.”
Israel vows to hold Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “accountable”
Iran said that the reason for the attack on the Soroka Hospital was to target an Israeli military intelligence facility, rather than the hospital itself.
In reaction, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the assault and vowed to retaliate, stating: “We will demand the full price from the tyrants in Tehran.”
Israel Katz, the Minister of Defense, accused Iran of engaging in “war crimes of the gravest nature” and asserted that Ayatollah Khamenei “will be held accountable for his actions.”
Katz communicated via social media that “the prime minister and I have instructed the IDF [Israeli military] to increase the intensity of strikes against strategic sites in Iran and government locations in Tehran, aiming to neutralize threats to the State of Israel and undermine the ayatollahs’ regime.”
Haim Bublil, a local police chief, reported to journalists that several people suffered minor injuries in the hospital strike. He said that a fire broke out in a six-story building that was difficult to access, and that rescue teams were still searching various structures while moving patients to safer areas of the hospital.
Many hospital in Israel activated their emergency plans last week, especially those reliant on ventilators or facing challenges in quick patient relocation. They transformed underground parking garages into hospital wards and moved patients to these underground facilities.
