Tehran/Tel Aviv. An Iranian missile struck the main hospital in southern Israel early Thursday, wounding several people and causing extensive damage, according to hospital officials. Israeli media showed images of blown-out windows and plumes of black smoke billowing from the site.

Another missile hit a high-rise building, while additional strikes targeted residential areas near Tel Aviv. At least 40 people were wounded across multiple sites, according to Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency service.

The attack came as Israel carried out its own strikes on Iran’s Arak heavy water nuclear reactor, escalating a week-long conflict that began with Israeli air raids targeting Iranian military facilities, senior officials, and nuclear scientists.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the hospital strike, calling it an act of terror. “We will exact the full price from the tyrants in Tehran,” he declared.

Iran has launched hundreds of missiles and drones toward Israel during the conflict, though the majority have been intercepted by Israel’s advanced air defense systems. However, officials acknowledged that no system is foolproof.

The missile that hit the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, one of the largest hospitals in Israel with over 1,000 beds, prompted emergency evacuations. Local police said several people suffered minor injuries, and a fire broke out in a nearby six-story building. The hospital restricted new admissions to life-threatening cases only.

In preparation for ongoing attacks, many Israeli hospitals have activated emergency protocols, relocating patients, particularly those on ventilators, to underground facilities.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military confirmed it had targeted Iran’s Arak reactor, specifically striking components used in plutonium production to prevent the site from being restored for potential weapons development. A separate strike was reported near Natanz, another key nuclear site.

Iranian state television denied any radioactive danger following the Arak strike. A reporter broadcasting live from the nearby town of Khondab said the site had been evacuated and that no civilian areas were affected.

The Arak facility had been a central concern in Iran’s 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers. Under that deal, Iran agreed to redesign the reactor to limit plutonium production. However, after the US exited the agreement in 2018 under President Donald Trump, Iran reportedly retained replacement parts for the facility, raising concerns it could be reactivated.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) last inspected Arak on May 14, but has since warned that it lost “continuity of knowledge” regarding Iran’s heavy water stockpiles due to restricted access.

In recent days, Israel has launched a series of strikes on Iranian nuclear infrastructure, killing top military leaders and scientists. According to a US-based Iranian human rights group, at least 639 people in Iran, including 263 civilians, have died, with over 1,300 wounded. Iran has retaliated with around 400 missiles and hundreds of drones, killing at least 24 Israelis and wounding hundreds more.

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