Beersheba (Israel), June 19, ’25 (AP/TNZ) As a barrage of missiles from Iran hit Soroka Medical Centre in southern Beersheba and residential buildings in Tel Aviv, Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, on Thursday, overtly threatened Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
At least 40 people sustained varying degrees of injuries in the attacks, according to Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service.
Reports say black smoke rose from the Soroka Medical Centre in the southern city of Beersheba as emergency teams evacuated patients.
However, the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), said on Telegram that the “main target” of the missile attack “was the large (Israeli army) Command and Intelligence (IDF C4I) headquarters.
“The military intelligence camp in the Gav-Yam Technology Park also attacked”.
IRNA said this facility is located next to Soroka hospital in Beersheba. It claimed that the hospital only suffered minor damage from the shockwave resulting from the missile attack.
“The military infrastructure was a precise and direct target,” it said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the attack and promised a response. “We will exact the full price from the tyrants in Tehran,” Netanyahu said.
Another missile hit a high-rise building and several other residential buildings in at least two sites near Tel Aviv.
At least 47 people were wounded in the attacks, according to Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service.
In the aftermath of the strikes, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz blamed Iran and said the Israeli military “has been instructed and knows that in order to achieve all of its goals, this man (Khamenei) absolutely should not continue to exist”.
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U.S. officials said this week that President Donald Trump had vetoed an Israeli plan to kill Khamenei. Trump later said there were no plans to kill him “at least not for now.”
Meanwhile, Israel carried out strikes on Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor, in its latest attack on the country’s sprawling nuclear programme, on the seventh day of the conflict.
The conflict began with a surprise wave of Israeli airstrikes, targeting military sites, senior officers and nuclear scientists.
A Washington-based Iranian human rights group said at least 639 people, including 263 civilians, have died in the Israeli attack on Iran. The group added that more than 1,300 others sustained injuries.
In retaliation, Iran fired some 400 missiles and hundreds of drones, killing at least 24 people in Israel and wounding hundreds.
Missile hits main hospital in southern Israel
Two doctors told AP that the missile struck almost immediately after air raid sirens went off, causing a loud explosion that could be heard from a safe room.
They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.
The hospital said the main impact was on an old surgery building that had been evacuated in recent days.
After the strike, authorities ordered the closure of the medical facility.
Soroka has over 1,000 beds and provides services to around one million residents of southern Israel. (TNZ)
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