An Iranian ballistic missile directly hit Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, southern Israel, causing extensive damage to the region’s largest hospital. The impact, part of a barrage of about 20 missiles, targeted an old surgical ward, evacuated days prior, minimizing casualties.
Israel’s Health Ministry reported about 80 minor injuries at Soroka, mostly from blast shockwaves, over 200 wounded nationwide at several impact sites. No fatalities were reported at the hospital.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed the attack targeted a nearby Israeli military intelligence site, denying intent to hit the hospital. Israel condemned the strike as a war crime, with Prime Minister Netanyahu vowing that Iran’s leadership would pay the “full price.”
Defense Minister Israel Katz declared that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “can no longer be allowed to exist.”
Soroka, serving over one million residents, has closed to new admissions except for urgent cases, reportedly discharging or transferring hundreds of patients. The attack, on day seven of the Israel-Iran conflict, is expected to trigger unspecified Israeli retaliation in Iran.
