Key points
- Iranian missiles reportedly hit Israeli hospital
- Israel strikes Iran’s Arak nuclear reactor site
- Iran uses multi-warhead missiles, raising defence concerns
ISLAMABAD: Israel’s Defence Minister issued a warning to Iran’s Supreme Leader on Thursday, following a fresh wave of Iranian missile strikes that reportedly damaged a major hospital in southern Israel and hit several residential buildings near Tel Aviv, according to Fortune.
In response, Israel launched an airstrike on Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor, a key part of its nuclear programme.
According to Israel’s Health Ministry, at least 240 people were injured in the missile attacks, including four seriously. Most sustained minor injuries, including over 70 individuals at Soroka Medical Centre in Beersheba, where smoke could be seen rising as emergency personnel evacuated patients.
Following the strikes, Defence Minister Israel Katz held Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei responsible, stating that the military had been instructed that in order to accomplish its objectives, “this man absolutely should not continue to exist.”
Blocking Israeli proposal
Earlier this week, US officials reported that President Donald Trump had blocked an Israeli proposal to target Khamenei. Trump later confirmed that there were no current plans to take such action.
In its latest response, Israel struck Iran’s Arak reactor, intensifying its campaign against Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. The conflict began last Friday with an Israeli aerial offensive aimed at military installations, high-ranking officers, and nuclear scientists.
A US-based Iranian human rights organisation reported that at least 639 individuals, including 263 civilians, have been killed in Iran, with more than 1,300 wounded. In retaliation, Iran has launched over 400 missiles and hundreds of drones towards Israel, resulting in at least 24 deaths and hundreds of injuries.
Multiple warheads
Meanwhile, an Israeli military official, speaking anonymously under military protocol, stated that Iran had used a missile carrying multiple warheads during Thursday’s attack—a development that poses new challenges for Israel’s defence systems.
Although no independent verification has yet been provided, Iran has previously alluded to developing such weaponry.
Missiles with multiple warheads are more difficult for air defence systems like the Iron Dome to intercept, as they require tracking and intercepting several targets simultaneously.
Amid escalating conflict between Tehran and Tel Aviv, Iranian officials and media sources have denied claims that Iranian missiles have targeted a hospital in southern Israel.
Iran’s denial
The denials come in response to reports in Hebrew-language media alleging that an Iranian missile struck Soroka Medical Centre in Beersheba of the Israeli-occupied territories, according to Tehran Times.
As mentioned by Al Jazeera, Soroka Hospital has been used by the Israeli military to treat soldiers wounded during operations in Gaza. However, Iranian sources stress that the hospital itself was not the intended target.
Soroka Hospital is located between two major Israeli military sites: the IDF’s main intelligence headquarters and a central command facility, both of which are situated in the Gav-Yam Technology Park.
These installations reportedly serve as critical hubs for Israel’s cyber operations, digital command systems, and military intelligence infrastructure (including IDF C4I and C4ISR systems).
