23 hours Ago
Tehran in turn has assumed this battle with repeated ballistic missile and drone strikes against several Israeli cities. These attacks have targeted military and civilian sites. According to reports, Israel’s strikes have resulted in more than 240 deaths in Iran, including 70 women and children.
At least 24 people have been killed in Israel by Iranian missile and drone strikes, meanwhile.
Missile Strike on Israeli Hospital, India Commences Evacuation
One of Iran’s ballistic missiles struck the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, in southern Israel. The missile also left a surgery building of the hospital complex heavily damaged. The hospital has over a million people throughout a wide selection of communities. Fortunately, most patients had been evacuated with advance warning. Some suffered minor injuries and emergency teams were seen running to the scene as plumes of smoke rose from the area.
Iran’s missile volley early Thursday wounded at least 240 people throughout Israel. As well as the 70 plus who were injured during the hospital strike, the Health Ministry said. Four of those injured were seriously hurt.
Against this backdrop of spiraling violence comes India's decision to evacuate its citizens from Israel. The development comes a day after it launched ‘Operation Sindhu’ to evacuate Indians from Iran. Indians who want to return will be evacuated by land and air in the mission, the Ministry of External Affairs said.
Intense Strikes Against Iranian Sites, and Calls to Hit Khamenei
Israel's defense forces (IDF) bombed Iran’s unfinished heavy-water reactor at Khondab also referred to as the Arak facility. Iranian officials said the site had been evacuated before the israel hospital attack strike and that there was no immediate danger of radiation. Tehran had previously informed international officials that it intended to have the reactor up and running by 2026. Other Iranian facilities related to centrifuge production and to weapons development were also hit.
The IDF says it has cut down approximately two-thirds of Iran’s missile-launch infrastructure. Yet Iran is thought to have more than 100 launchers left. The IDF claimed Iran has fired over 450 ballistic missiles and hundreds of drones at a number of sites in Israel.
Following the attack, Defence Minister Israel Katz said that after the attack on the hospital, he does not believe that Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei "can sleep well" and that there is only one solution: "Khamenei can no longer be allowed to exist." He accused Khamenei of directing strikes on civilian areas, including medical facilities, and called him a threat to Israel’s survival.
Earlier, international pressure reportedly prevented Israel from taking the matter into its own hands against Khamenei, according to previous reports.
For its part, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei claimed in a related development that the UN's nuclear watchdog was biased.
This followed a report by the agency that alleged that Iran was not fulfilling its nuclear commitments. Iran retaliated by accusing the agency of aligning itself with Israel in what it described as a “war of aggression.”
