The military conflict between Israel and Iran entered its seventh day on Thursday, with both countries continuing to launch attacks on each other's territory. Early Thursday morning, an Iranian missile struck Soroka Medical Center in southern Israel, causing significant injuries and extensive damage, according to an Israeli government spokesperson.
More than 30 people were injured when Soroka Medical Center, the largest hospital in southern Israel, was hit during a wave of Iranian strikes across the country.
Soroka hospital attack
Israeli media aired footage showing shattered windows and thick black smoke billowing from the hospital as panic spread within the building. Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel shared a video capturing the aftermath inside the facility.
In the video, hospital staff and civilians are seen running through smoke-filled corridors, with glass shards scattered across the floors. Debris from broken windows, benches, and chairs lay strewn throughout the hospital.
“The Iranian regime targeted Soroka Hospital in Beersheba with a ballistic missile—striking a major medical centre. We will not stand by. We will continue doing what must be done to defend our people,” stated the official ‘State of Israel’ account, operated by the foreign ministry.
However, Iranian state media reported that the missile strike was aimed at a military installation adjacent to Soroka Hospital, not the hospital itself.
According to the IRNA news agency, the intended target was an Israel Defence Forces (IDF) command and intelligence centre, specifically the IDF C4i headquarters and an army intelligence base located in the Gav-Yam Technology Park.
Netanyahu vows retaliation for hospital strike
In a firm response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to retaliate for the Iranian attack on Soroka Hospital and other civilian areas in central Israel. Writing in Hebrew on social media platform X, he declared, “This morning, Iran’s terrorist tyrants launched missiles at Soroka Hospital in Beersheba and at civilian areas in the centre of the country. We will exact the full price from the tyrants in Tehran.”