Netanyahu vows Iran will "pay" for missile attack on hospital
"This morning, Iran's terrorist tyrants launched missiles at Soroka Hospital in Beersheba and at the civilian population in central Israel. We will exact the full price from the tyrants in Tehran," the president said on social media. The attack caused severe damage to one of the complex's buildings, although only a few people were slightly injured, according to Efe and AP.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered the army on Thursday to intensify attacks against "strategic targets" in Tehran with the aim of eliminating the threat they pose to Israel and destabilizing the Persian regime.
"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I have ordered the Israel Defense Forces to intensify their attacks against strategic targets in Iran and government targets in Tehran to eliminate threats to the State of Israel and undermine the ayatollahs' regime," Katz announced in a statement.
Soroka Hospital in the Beersheva region of southern Israel suffered a direct hit early this morning during the latest Iranian missile launch against Israel shortly after 7:00 a.m. local time (4:00 a.m. GMT), firefighters reported, with no personal injuries reported so far.
"Scene in the southern district: direct hit on a medical center, a fire broke out at the scene," the fire department said in a statement, which also detailed impacts without injuries in the Dan district, which includes the city of Tel Aviv and its metropolitan area , and in central Israel .
According to images on social media, a thick cloud of smoke filled the center after the impact, which caused severe damage to a facade more than four stories high, as well as broken glass and widespread destruction inside. Vehicles near the center were also charred.
No injuries have been reported at the hospital, where, according to Haaretz, staff were on the ground floor to mitigate the risk to their lives in the event of an impact. Firefighters are searching for and rescuing trapped people.
In the central city of Holon, at least three people were seriously injured, including a man in his 60s. One was in moderate condition, and seven suffered minor injuries after an impact, according to paramedics from the Israeli emergency service Magen David Aadom.
In addition, impacts were also identified against the cities of Ramat Gan and Tel Aviv, also in the central area of the country, so far the hardest hit after six days of offensive since Israel attacked Iran in the early hours of Friday the 13th. Another 16 people were slightly injured in Ramat Gan, in central Israel, and one more in Tel Aviv, according to paramedics.
Israel has also confirmed an Israeli army attack last night against a dormant nuclear reactor in Arak, located in central Iran and about 250 kilometers southwest of Tehran , in an attempt to prevent it from being reactivated. Israel had already warned this morning that it would attack the facility and urged the population to flee the Arak area, according to an evacuation order issued on X by the military spokesman in Arabic, Avichay Adraee.
"As part of a broad effort to prevent the Iranian regime from obtaining a nuclear weapon, the nuclear reactor in the Arak area of Iran was attacked, including the reactor core seal structure, a key component in plutonium production," a military statement said, adding that overnight a total of 40 Israeli fighter jets bombed "dozens of military targets" in Tehran and other areas.
Iran had agreed, under its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, to redesign the facility to mitigate concerns about plutonium proliferation, as heavy water helps cool nuclear reactors but produces the chemical element as a byproduct that could be used in nuclear weapons.
"The attack targeted the component intended for plutonium production , in order to prevent the reactor from being restored and used for the development of nuclear weapons," the Army added, detailing that air defense batteries, surface-to-surface missile depots, and components used in the assembly of ballistic missiles, among other targets, were also attacked from the air.
Seventh day of bombing since the Israeli offensiveThis is the seventh consecutive day that Israel has bombed Iran since launching a massive military offensive against the Persian nation early Friday morning to prevent it from advancing its nuclear program.
The attacks, which have decimated Iran's military and nuclear infrastructure, have also caused 224 deaths, according to official Iranian government figures, although the total number may be higher.
Iran's retaliation against Israel, which has also continued unabated in recent days, has claimed the lives of 24 people, and this morning a missile hit several locations, including a hospital in the south, causing injuries.
U.S. Special Envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack embarks on an official visit to Lebanon today, where he is scheduled to meet with senior Lebanese officials to discuss outstanding issues surrounding the implementation of the ceasefire agreement reached with Israel six months ago. Washington was the main mediator in the ceasefire agreement and also heads the monitoring mechanism.
Barrack's visit comes amid escalating attacks between Israel and Iran, in which the United States has not ruled out direct involvement and which is causing fears in Lebanon that the violence could spread to Hezbollah, a key ally of Tehran .
While Israel continues to attack Lebanon and maintains its troops in five locations throughout Lebanese territory, Beirut has yet to begin disarming the Shiite group Hezbollah or the Palestinian factions present in the country, although it claims to be taking steps to limit the possession of weapons exclusively to the state.
Barrack, also the US ambassador to Turkey , held his first meeting of the day with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, the Lebanese Presidency reported on its X account, which limited itself to announcing the start of the meeting, without offering details on the topics on the agenda.
The visit comes after local media reported in recent weeks that the US deputy special envoy for the Middle East, Morgan Ortagus, had been removed from her post as the main mediator between Lebanon and Israel by Washington.
The United States has not officially commented on the status of Ortagus, who during his brief assignment was the subject of several controversies in Beirut for his staunch defense of Israel, nor has it clarified whether Barrack will be in charge of mediation between the two neighboring countries.
The US diplomat is also scheduled to meet with Lebanese Foreign Minister Yousef Rajjeh and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri to discuss the unmet stipulations following the six-month cessation of hostilities with the Jewish state.
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