Videos/Pics: Iran's ‘terrorist tyrants' strike Israeli hospital, Israel vows revenge
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a major warning to Iran on Thursday after Iran's 'terrorist tyrants' launched missiles and struck a hospital in Israel amid the increased conflict between the two countries following Israel's preemptive strikes against Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs last week.
In a translated post on X, formerly Twitter, Netanyahu wrote, 'This morning, Iran's terrorist tyrants launched missiles at Soroka Hospital in Beersheba and at a civilian population in the center of the country. We will exact the full price from the tyrants in Tehran.'
Trey Yingst, chief foreign correspondent for Fox News, reported that Israel's Soroka Hospital, which he confirmed was the largest hospital in the southern region of Israel, sustained 'significant damage' after taking a 'direct hit from an Iranian ballistic missile.'
A video shared by the Israeli government shows people running in the aftermath of the Iranian missile strike against the Soroka Hospital. The Israeli government noted that the ballistic missile hit a 'major medical center,' adding, 'We will not stand by. We will continue doing what must be done to defend our people.'
The Iranian regime targeted Soroka Hospital in Beersheba with a ballistic missile—hitting a major medical center.
We will not stand by. We will continue doing what must be done to defend our people. pic.twitter.com/4ldeTQhATW — Israel ישראל (@Israel) June 19, 2025
In a post on social media, Israeli President Isaac Herzog shared pictures of the remains of the Soroka Hospital. The Israeli president explained that he visited the hospital on Thursday morning and was met by doctors, nurses, and patients.
READ MORE: Videos: 60 Israeli jets target Iran's ballistic missiles
'We stood together and looked at the destruction and devastation caused by an Iranian missile fired indiscriminately with the sole intention to take innocent lives in a hospital,' Herzog stated. 'This is a war crime!'
I arrived at Soroka Hospital in Be'er Sheva this morning, to be greeted by Director of the hospital, Prof. Shlomi Kodesh, along with doctors, nurses, and patients, Jews and Muslims, from all walks of life from across the beautiful Negev.
We stood together and looked at the… pic.twitter.com/jvZhSerOvI — יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) June 19, 2025
The Israeli Ministry of Health confirmed that 271 people were hospitalized following Iran's overnight attacks. The Israeli Ministry of Health also confirmed that at least 71 people were hospitalized due to the missile strike against the Soroka Hospital.
Speaking from the site of the hospital attack on Thursday, Netanyahu said, 'We accurately hit nuclear targets and missile targets, and they hit a hospital, where people can't even get up and run away. They are harming not far from here – there is a children's and infants' ward here. That's the whole difference in a democracy that acts according to the law to save itself from these murderers and against these murderers who want to destroy each and every one of us. Every single one of us. Down to the last one of us. I think that says it all.'
אני כאן בבית החולים סורוקה בבאר שבע יחד עם שר הבריאות וסגן השר אלמוג כהן, איש הדרום, ולא בפעם הראשונה עם מנהל בית החולים סורוקה. אנחנו רואים כאן את כל ההבדל.
אנחנו פוגעים במדויק במטרות גרעין ומטרות טילים, והם פוגעים בבית חולים, שאנשים לא יכולים לקום ולברוח אפילו.
הם פוגעים לא… pic.twitter.com/u9FgJtWkyU — Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) June 19, 2025
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CNBC
19 minutes ago
- CNBC
The Israel-Iran conflict and the other big thing that drove the stock market this week
It's been a tense and dynamic week for the world at large. The market action on Wall Street over the past four sessions was been anything but that. For the week, the S & P 500 lost 0.15%, the tech-heavy Nasdaq ticked up 0.21%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average was basically flat, up a mere 0.02%. Beneath the surface, though, there was plenty of news for investors to digest. Here's a closer look at the biggest market themes during the holiday-shortened trading week. 1. Geopolitics: The major news story was — and still is — the intensifying war between Israel and Iran. The big question on everyone's mind is whether the U.S. will get involved. As of Friday, reports indicate that while President Donald Trump is actively reviewing options to attack Iran, nothing has been authorized. The White House has said Trump he will make a decision in the "next two weeks". 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28 minutes ago
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Axios
31 minutes ago
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Scoop: Trump's backchannel to Iran failed after supreme leader went dark
President Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan quietly sought to arrange a meeting between senior U.S. and Iranian officials in Istanbul last week amid Israel's escalating war with Iran. But the effort collapsed when Iran's supreme leader — in hiding due to fears of assassination — couldn't be reached to approve it, according to three U.S. officials and a source with direct knowledge of the matter. Why it matters: New details of this backchannel effort reveal the extent to which Trump was pushing for a direct meeting with the Iranians — even offering to attend himself, if necessary — in hopes of striking a nuclear deal and avoiding U.S. military intervention. In the days since, Trump and senior White House officials became less confident that a diplomatic solution was possible — and more convinced the U.S. would have to join the war to eliminate the Iranian nuclear program, according to U.S. officials. Driving the news: Trump reiterated on Friday that he will make a decision on whether to join the war in the next "two weeks," saying he wanted "time to see whether or not people come to their senses." "I'm giving 'em a period of time. We're gonna see what that period of time is. And I would say two weeks would be the maximum," Trump told reporters. On Saturday evening, Trump is expected to convene his national security team in the White House Situation Room to discuss the war between Israel and Iran, which has entered its ninth day. Behind the scenes: Trump received a phone call from Erdoğan on Monday while meeting with G7 leaders in Canada. Erdoğan proposed hosting a meeting in Istanbul the next day between U.S. and Iranian officials to explore a diplomatic solution to the war, three U.S. officials and a source with direct knowledge told Axios. Trump agreed and told Erdoğan he was willing to send Vice President Vance and White House envoy Steve Witkoff — and even travel to Turkey himself to meet with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian — if that's what was necessary to get a deal, the sources said. A White House official said that in the hours before the call from Erdoğan, Trump received "signals" from the Iranians through other backchannels that they wanted to meet. While Trump's personal involvement was discussed, the official said, the more serious plan was to send Vance and Witkoff. Erdoğan and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan then relayed the proposal to Pezeshkian and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi, the sources said. Two U.S. officials said Pezeshkian and Araghchi tried contacting Iran's Supreme Leader Ayotallah Ali Khamenei to get his approval. But Khamenei, who has been in hiding for fear of being assassinated by Israel, couldn't be reached. After several hours, the Iranian side informed the Turks they couldn't get Khamenei's sign-off. Turkey then told the U.S. the meeting was off, a U.S. official said. Shortly afterward, Trump took to Truth Social and posted an extraordinary public message to Khamenei. "Iran should have signed the 'deal' I told them to sign. What a shame, and waste of human life. Simply stated, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. I said it over and over again! Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!" Trump wrote. A senior White House official said the breakdown in talks wasn't the sole reason for the post and stressed there was "no direct correlation." The official added that Trump's call for civilians to evacuate Tehran — a city of 10 million people, with 17 million in the wider metropolitan area — reflected his desire to protect Iranian lives. State of play: In recent days, the Iranians have said both publicly and privately that they will not negotiate directly with the U.S. unless Israel halts its attacks. Trump said Friday that it will be "very hard" to pause the war to allow for direct negotiations with the U.S., noting that Israel is "doing well" in its efforts to take out Iran's nuclear program. On Saturday, Erdoğan met with Iran's foreign minister Araghchi in Istanbul and urged him to hold direct talks with the Trump administration. Erdoğan told Araghchi that Turkey was ready to facilitate such talks as soon as possible, according to a statement from the Turkish president's office. What to watch: On Saturday morning, six B-2 stealth bombers departed from their base in Missouri and began heading west, according to flight tracking data. The B-2s are expected to play a key role in any potential U.S. strike on Iran, capable of carrying the 30,000-pound "bunker buster" bombs likely to be used to destroy the heavily fortified Fordow uranium enrichment facility. The Pentagon referred questions to the White House. Trump said on Friday that Israel has "very limited capacity" to damage Fordow. "They can break through a little section, but they can't go down very deep. They don't have that capacity. And, we'll have to see what happens. Maybe it won't be necessary," Trump said.
