Heavy damage, injuries as Iranian missile hits Beersheba hospital; dozens hurt in central cities – The Times of Israel
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Dozens wounded in Iranian strikes across Israel as it hits Arak reactor site
At least 40 people were wounded, according to Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service. Iranian state television said there was “no radiation danger whatsoever” and that the facility had been evacuated before the attack. A major air base in the Middle East used by the US military has seen many of the aircraft typically on its tarmac dispersed this weekend. Iraq’’s top Shiite authority, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, warned on Thursday that a strike on Iran’s senior religious or political leadership could ignite uncontrollable chaos across the region. He called on the international community — particularly Muslim countries — to increase diplomatic pressure, halt the aggression and broker a peaceful solution to the Iranian nuclear issue. China urges de-escalation of conflict especially by Israel and called for both sides to de- escalate. The seventh day of conflict came a day after Iran’s supreme leader rejected US calls for surrender and warned that any military involvement by the Americans would cause “irreparable damage to them”.
Separate Iranian strikes hit a high-rise apartment building in Tel Aviv and other sites in central Israel. At least 40 people were wounded, according to Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service.
Israel, meanwhile, carried out strikes on Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor, its latest attack on Iran’s sprawling nuclear programme. Iranian state television said there was “no radiation danger whatsoever” and that the facility had been evacuated before the attack.
The seventh day of conflict came a day after Iran’s supreme leader rejected US calls for surrender and warned that any military involvement by the Americans would cause “irreparable damage to them”.
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Here’s the latest:
Many aircraft dispersed from major air base in Middle East used by US military
A major air base in the Middle East used by the US military has seen many of the aircraft typically on its tarmac dispersed this weekend.
The Al Udeid Air Base outside of Doha, Qatar, is the forward headquarters of the US military’s Central Command. Typically, the air base is filled with multiple transport planes, fighter jets and drones.
In a satellite photo taken Wednesday by Planet Labs PBC analysed by The Associated Press, the air base’s tarmac had emptied.
The US military has not acknowledged the change. However, it comes after ships off the US Navy’s 5th Fleet base in Bahrain also have dispersed. That’s typically a military strategy to ensure your fighting ships and planes aren’t destroyed in case of an attack.
Al-Sistani warns against a strike on Iran’s senior religious or political leadership
Iraq’s top Shiite authority, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, warned on Thursday that a strike on Iran’s senior religious or political leadership could ignite uncontrollable chaos across the region, an apparent reference to threats that Israel or the US might kill Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
In a statement, al-Sistani denounced the ongoing Israeli military campaign against Iran. He said that targeting the country’s top leadership would be a “criminal act (that) would shatter regional stability, deepen human suffering, and inflict far-reaching harm on the interests of all nations”.
He called on the international community — particularly Muslim countries — to increase diplomatic pressure, halt the aggression and broker a peaceful solution to the Iranian nuclear issue.
Widely seen as a voice of moderation, al-Sistani represents a school of thought in Shiism opposed to direct rule by clerics, the system in place in Iran, where Khamenei has the final word in all matters.
China urges de-escalation of conflict especially by Israel
China’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday said Beijing was “deeply concerned” about the conflict between Iran and Israel and called for both sides to de-escalate.
“China strongly urges the parties involved, especially Israel, to prioritise the interests of regional peoples and cease fire and hostilities immediately to ease current tensions,” said Guo Jiakun, spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry in Beijing.
Guo added that the conflict was “escalating, causing tremendous harm to the peoples of both countries and seriously undermining regional and global peace and stability. China is deeply concerned about this. There are no winners in an escalating conflict. It will only lead to greater destruction and deeper turmoil”.
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Patients evacuated from Soroka Medical Centre after missile strike
Black smoke rose from the Soroka Medical Centre in the southern city of Beersheba as emergency teams evacuated patients.
Two doctors told The Associated Press 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.
Iran says attack on Israel targeted a military site
Iran, through its state-run IRNA news agency, claimed it targeted an Israeli military site, not the hospital.
Iran claimed the “blast wave” of the missile struck the hospital.
Egyptian FM pushes for de-escalation’ dialogue on call with European diplomats
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty spoke with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot and British National Security Advisor Jonathan Powell on Thursday about the escalating tensions between Iran and Israel.
In a statement after the call, Abdelatty said that the E3, an informal foreign and security cooperation arrangement between the UK, Germany and France, is responsible for opening “channels for dialogue and negotiation and utilize all available channels with the Iranian side to reach compromises that contribute to de-escalation”.
Attack on Arak reactor meant to prevent plutonium production, Israel says
Israel’s military said its fighter jets targeted the Arak facility and its reactor core seal to halt it from being used to produce plutonium.
“The strike targeted the component intended for plutonium production, in order to prevent the reactor from being restored and used for nuclear weapons development,” the Israelis said.
Iran has long maintained its program is for peaceful purposes. However, it also enriches uranium up to 60 per cent, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90 per cent.
Iran is the only non-nuclear-weapon state to enrich at that level.
Israel separately claimed to have struck another site around Natanz it described as being related to Iran’s nuclear programme.
Several countries prepare to evacuate their citizens from Iran and Israel
Japan, China, Indonesia and Oman said Thursday they were preparing to help evacuate their citizens from Iran and Israel as the conflict between the two countries intensified.
Japan said it is dispatching two military aircraft to Djibouti ahead of a possible airlifting of Japanese nationals from Iran.
Defence Minister Gen Nakatani said he ordered the dispatch of two C-2 transport aircraft, along with 120 servicemembers, to the Horn of African nation where Japan has a military base. About 280 Japanese are based in Iran and 1,000 others are in Israel.
The Chinese Embassy in Israel, meanwhile, said it will organize group evacuations by bus from Israel starting Friday. A notice posted on the embassy’s WeChat social media account said Chinese citizens would be taken out through the Taba border crossing to Egypt.
The Indonesian government said it would evacuate its citizens from Iran. About 386 Indonesians, mostly students, are in Iran, primarily in the city of Qom, he said. His ministry, meanwhile, said earlier that about 194 Indonesians are in Israel, the majority of whom are in the southern city of Rafah.
And Oman said it had evacuated 245 of its citizens and a number of nationals from other countries via the Iranian city of Bandar Abbas, along the country’s Persian Gulf coast. Ten buses also brought Omani citizens from the Iran’s north into Turkiye, and three other buses crossed into Iraq, Oman’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Israel’s main hospital in south sustained direct hit from Iranian missile with extensive damage
Israel’s main southern hospital sustained a direct hit Thursday from an Iranian missile, with officials reporting “extensive damage” there.
Soroka Medical Centre is the main hospital in Israel’s south.
A spokesperson for the Soroka Medical Centre in Beer Sheba said the hospital suffered “extensive damage” in different areas and people were wounded in the attack. The hospital has requested people not come for treatment.
The hospital has over 1,000 beds and provides services to the approximately 1 million residents of Israel’s south, according to the hospital’s website.
As per a report by Tehran Times, Iranian officials and media have denied claims that Iranian missiles directly targeted Soroka Medical Center. They insist the hospital was not an intended target and did not suffer a direct hit, though it sustained shockwave damage from nearby blasts. The hospital lies between two key Israeli military sites, which Iran says were the actual targets. Iranian sources accuse Israel of spreading false claims for psychological warfare, aiming to deflect attention from damage to its military command infrastructure.
Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 639, rights group says
Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 639 people and wounded 1,329 others, a human rights group said Thursday.
The Washington-based group Human Rights Activists offered the figures, which covers the entirety of Iran. It said of those dead, it identified 263 civilians and 154 security force personnel being killed.
Human Rights Activists, which also provided detailed casualty figures during the 2022 protests over the death of Mahsa Amini, crosschecks local reports in the Islamic Republic against a network of sources it has developed in the country.
Iran has not been offering regular death tolls during the conflict and has minimised casualties in the past. Its last update, issued Monday, put the death toll at 224 people being killed and 1,277 others being wounded.
No US plans to be part of EU-Iran talks — for now
A US official said Wednesday there no plans for US involvement in nuclear talks set between senior European diplomats and Iran in Geneva, although that could change.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private diplomatic communications, also noted that the Europeans have been wanting to play a role in the negotiations for months but have been held back by the US.
That position, the official said, may be changing as the hostilities intensify.
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Around 600 Indian students, including 500 from Kashmir, have safely reached Mashhad from Qom. This is the second group of students who were earlier relocated to Qom, where they stayed for three days. The students are from various institutions, including Islamic Azad University, Iran University of Medical University and Shahed Behesht
Around 600 Indian students, including 500 from Kashmir, have safely reached Mashhad from Qom. This is the second group of students who were earlier relocated to Qom, where they stayed for three days. Their evacuation process is currently underway.
Mashhad, a border city in Iran, is located approximately 1,000 kilometre from Qom, a journey that takes around 15 hours by road. The students are from various institutions, including Islamic Azad University, Iran University of Medical University and Shahed Beheshti University. From Mashhad, they are expected to be taken to Turkmenistan, from where they will likely board flights to Delhi tomorrow.
“We are maintaining constant communication with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Indian Embassy in Iran to ensure the safety and smooth evacuation of the students,” the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association said.
Dozens of Iranian missiles strike major Israeli hospital and residential buildings — as Israel hits nuclear sites
Israeli military said it targeted the Khondab nuclear site near Iran’s central city Arak overnight. Several Iranian missiles struck populated areas in Israel in an early morning onslaught, including the Soroka Medical Center in Beer Sheba, the main hospital in southern Israel. At least 40 were injured and the hospital, which took a direct hit, sustained significant damage, a video taken inside the facility shows. Israel Defense Forces had shared an evacuation warning across social media that included a satellite image of the nuclear plant, which sits in the city of Arak, in the middle of a red circle indicating a blast zone. Heavy-water reactors produce plutonium, which, like enriched uranium, can be used to make the core of an atom bomb. Israel has already targeted several prominent sites throughout Iran during the seven days of airstrikes aimed at weakening the regime’s nuclear capabilities — including in cities such as Isfahan and Natanz. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised to hit back even harder at Iran following the strike. “We will exact the full price from the tyrants in Tehran,” he vowed in an X post.
The Israeli military said it targeted the Khondab nuclear site near Iran’s central city Arak overnight, including strikes on a partially built heavy-water research reactor.
Meanwhile, several Iranian missiles struck populated areas in Israel in an early morning onslaught, including the Soroka Medical Center in Beer Sheba, the main hospital in southern Israel.
11 Emergency personnel assist a man and a child following a strike from Iran on Israel, in Ramat Gan, Israel on June 19, 2025. REUTERS
11 Emergency personnel stand near a damaged building following a strike from Iran on Israel, in Ramat Gan, Israel on June 19, 2025. REUTERS
At least 40 were injured and the hospital, which took a direct hit, sustained significant damage, a video taken inside the facility shows.
“Dozens of ballistic missiles were launched at Israel in the last barrage from Iran, with several hits to civilian population centres (including the Soroka hospital in southern Israel),” an Israeli military official told The Post.
“IDF Homefront Command Search and Rescue teams have been dispatched to several reported impact sites.”
11 Smoke rises from Soroka Medical Center following a missile strike from Iran on Israel, in Be’er Sheva, Israel on June 19, 2025. REUTERS
11 Smoke raises from a building of the Soroka hospital complex after it was hit by a missile fired from Iran in Be’er Sheva, Israel. AP
The hospital shut down to new patients — other than those in life-threatening situations — following the strike.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised to hit back even harder at Iran following the strike.
“We will exact the full price from the tyrants in Tehran,” he vowed in an X post.
Israel’s defense minister, Israel Katz, backed up Netanyahu’s threat.
“These are war crimes of the most serious kind – and Khamenei will be held accountable for his crimes,” he tweeted.
“The Prime Minister and I have instructed the IDF to increase the intensity of attacks against strategic targets in Iran and against government targets in Tehran in order to remove threats to the State of Israel and undermine the ayatollahs’ regime.”
11 A woman is evacuated from the site of a direct hit from an Iranian missile strike in Ramat Gan, Israel. AP
The attack came after Israel targeted Iran’s heavy water reactor, according to an Israeli official and Iranian state television.
Israel Defense Forces had shared an evacuation warning across social media that included a satellite image of the nuclear plant, which sits in the city of Arak, in the middle of a red circle indicating a blast zone.
“Dear citizens, for your safety and well-being, we urgently request that you immediately evacuate the designated area in Tehran’s Area 18. Your presence in this area puts your life at risk,” the IDF Farsi wrote on X.
The facility was fully evacuated before the attack, according to Iran’s state-run station.
11 The Soroka Medical Center in Beer Sheba took a direct hit and sustained severe damage.
11 Several people were injured in the attack at the hospital.
Heavy-water reactors produce plutonium, which, like enriched uranium, can be used to make the core of an atom bomb.
Iranian media reported two projectiles hitting an area near the facility, though there were no reports of radiation threats.
The United Nations nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, said it had information that the heavy-water research reactor under construction there had been hit, but did not contain radioactive material. It had no information that a separate plant there, which makes heavy water, had been struck.
11 The Arak heavy water reactor is 55 miles southwest of Tehran. EPA
11 A woman carries her child at an impact site following a missile strike from Iran on Israel, in Ramat Gan. REUTERS
The site was visited by inspectors from the UN watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency back on May 14, just one month before that panel would vote to hold the Iranian regime in non-compliance with nuclear nonproliferation agreements.
Israel’s strikes have already targeted several prominent enrichment sites throughout Iran during the seven days of airstrikes aimed at weakening the regime’s nuclear capabilities — including in cities Isfahan and Natanz.
The Jewish state has also obliterated the top Iranian generals and nuclear scientists, crippling the nation’s ability to respond militarily or diplomatically.
11 A man checks damages in a clothes shop after a missile attack by Iran, in Tel Aviv, Israel. AP
11 Emergency personnel work at an impact site following a strike from Iran on Israel, in Ramat Gan, Israel on June 19, 2025. REUTERS
President Trump is currently weighing the extent to which the United States will enter into the thus far regional conflict.
“I have ideas as to what to do, but I haven’t made a final — I like to make the final decision one second before it’s due, because things change, especially with war. Things change with war. It can go from one extreme to the other,” Trump said prior to a meeting in the Situation Room on Wednesday.
Israel has specifically asked for the United States to provide a bunker-busting bomb to take out Iran’s underground nuclear-enrichment stronghold in Fordow.
At least 639 people, including 263 civilians, have been killed in Iran since Israel began its bombing campaign last week, a Washington-based Iranian human rights group said.
In Israel, 24 people have died and hundreds have been wounded by Iranian retaliatory strikes, the Associated Press reported.
With Post wires