Israeli hospital hit in Iranian barrage

A large hospital in southern Israel suffered a direct hit from an Iranian ballistic missile, Israeli ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon said on Thursday. The Soroka hospital in Beersheba was badly damaged and lost several hundred beds in the strike, but could still function, Israeli Health Minister Uriel Busso told The Jerusalem Post. The hospital building that was hit was evacuated before the strike, Busso said.

Iranian missiles also targeted civilian areas in central Israel on Thursday, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Magen David Adom emergency medical service said it treated dozens of people with shrapnel and blast injuries, including three who were in critical condition.

How did Israeli officials react to the hospital strike? Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, said the hospital strike was a grave violation of international law. He called on the global body to condemn it as an act of terror. Defense Minister Israel Katz on Thursday said he had ordered the Israeli military to ramp up attacks on strategic targets in Iran in response. Israel would undermine Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s regime, he said. Katz characterized the hospital attack as a war crime. The Israeli military on Thursday said it had destroyed a nuclear reactor site in Iran’s Arak area. The site was inactive at the time, according to the military.

Has Israel hit hospitals during its warfare? The Israeli military has damaged several hospitals in the Gaza Strip since the war between Israel and Hamas began in 2023. About 16 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals were still partially functioning in January, according to the United Nations.

Israeli forces attacked the European Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza, in May, killing and injuring an unspecified number of people, according to the United Nations. The Israeli military in June said it uncovered a tunnel network under the hospital that included Hamas command rooms and weapons. Terrorist Hamas leaders also operated a command center in another hospital, according to the Israeli military.

What has Iran said about the conflict? Iran will never surrender, Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei said in video and social media statements Wednesday. He warned against U.S. involvement in the military saying that the United States would suffer irreparable harm if it entered the war militarily. He added that Iran was negotiating with the United States when Israel first struck last week.

Dig deeper: Read Christina Grube’s report on Iran’s warning to America.