Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed a tough response against what he termed Iran's "terrorist tyrants," following a direct missile strike on Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba — the southern Israel region's largest hospital — which injured dozens of patients, medical staff, and hospital workers.
The attack occurred as the Israeli-Iranian confrontation escalated into its seventh straight day. Iran launched around 30 ballistic missiles at targets in multiple locations throughout Israel, in a very heavy barrage of one of the most severe attacks since the war started.
One of the targeted buildings was the Soroka Hospital complex, which suffered heavy damage, particularly to its old surgical wing. After the bombing, emergency services at the building were reduced to handle only life-threatening cases, and Israel's Home Front Command sent staff to check the structural integrity of all hospital buildings.
Responding to the attack, Netanyahu posted on social media site X: "Today, Iran's terror tyrants fired missiles at Beersheba's Soroka Hospital and at a civilian population in the country's center. We will make the tyrants in Tehran pay the full price."
Defence Minister Israel Katz also deplored the attack, directly blaming Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, for firing missiles at civilians.
"The cowardly Iranian tyrant cowers in the bottom of the heavily fortified bunker and shoots targeted missiles at Israeli hospitals and residential areas. These are war crimes of the worst sort -- and Khamenei will be brought to justice for his crimes," Katz wrote on X.
He went on to say: "The Prime Minister and I have ordered the IDF to ramp up the intensity of attacks against strategic targets in Iran and against government targets in Tehran in a bid to eliminate threats to the State of Israel and dislodge the ayatollahs' regime."
The missile attack on Soroka ignited widespread anger among Israeli leaders and medical professionals.
Zion Hagay, the president of the Israel Medical Association, was scathing in her criticism of the attack, condemning it as flagrant disregard of international law and urging worldwide action.
"The eyes of the entire world should be focused this morning on Soroka Hospital in Beersheba to see what a war crime looks like," Hagay said.
"Whereas Israel aims at security targets, the Iranians intentionally fire at population centers in an attempt to kill as many civilians as they can," he continued, commending the readiness of the hospital to avert further disastrous repercussions.
With tensions reaching a boiling point and hostilities intensifying, Israel's leadership seems bent on stepping up its military campaign against what it perceives as a perilous new phase of Iranian aggression.
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