Latest news with #IsraelAttack
LBCI
10 hours ago
- Health
- LBCI
Missile strike on Tel Aviv triggers Israeli threats against Iran's Supreme Leader — the details
Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Mariella Succar A wave of Iranian missiles struck southern and central Israel early Thursday, including Tel Aviv, leaving at least 200 people injured and causing widespread damage to residential buildings and infrastructure. The attack triggered scenes of destruction and panic across the country, with many Israelis describing it as an unprecedented moment of fear and anxiety. The scale of the strike prompted Israeli leaders to escalate their threats against Tehran. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened to assassinate Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pointed to the targeting of Soroka Medical Center in the southern city of Be'er Sheva as justification for intensifying Israeli strikes on Iran. The threats came amid scenes of chaos across the country, after air raid sirens reportedly failed to activate in Tel Aviv and several other areas. According to military estimates, one of the missiles that exploded over central Israel was equipped with a cluster warhead, dispersing smaller explosive submunitions across several areas near Tel Aviv, including Jaffa, Or Yehuda, and Gush Dan. Israeli officials believe the use of such warheads serves two purposes: first, to relieve pressure on Iranian cities facing Israeli bombardment; and second, to increase psychological pressure on the Israeli public by targeting civilian areas and a major hospital—moves aimed at fueling demands within Israel to end the war. While reports initially suggested that a missile hit the hospital directly, several Israeli experts clarified that it landed nearby. Had it struck the hospital itself, they said, the number of casualties would have been far higher. Despite the attacks, the Israeli military remains committed to continuing its operations as it awaits a U.S. response. Defense officials are also pressing for an $8.5 billion boost in the military budget to restock weapons and sustain the war effort.
Reuters
12 hours ago
- Health
- Reuters
Israeli hospital had taken patients underground hours before missile hit
BEERSHEBA, Israel, June 19 (Reuters) - Shattered glass and piles of rubble littered the floors of Soroka Medical Center on Thursday, after an Iranian missile ripped through the hospital in Israel's south, injuring dozens. The major public hospital, which serves around 1 million people living in southern Israel, sustained extensive damage in the strike. Several wards were completely destroyed, with debris scattered across the parking lot and surrounding walkways. "We knew from the noise that it wasn't like anything we were used to, that it wasn't like anything we had seen before," said Nissim Huri, who was working in the kitchen and took refuge in a concrete shelter during the strike. "It was terrifying," Huri said, describing the scenes as she emerged from the shelter as "complete destruction. Israel launched an aerial war against Iran on Friday, calling it a preemptive strike designed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Iran has denied plans to develop such weapons and retaliated by launching counterstrikes on Israel. Hospital staff said the blast was so powerful it threw them backward. On Thursday afternoon, they sat in the hospital courtyard rewatching videos of towering plumes of smoke. Israel's Health Ministry said 71 people were wounded in the attack, most of them suffering light injuries or panic attacks as they rushed for shelter. Hospital staff evacuated patients and cordoned off damaged areas. The hospital began moving patients out of some buildings in recent days as part of emergency precautions in response to the Iranian strikes. It has since limited admissions to life-threatening cases only. Patients in the damaged building were taken to an underground facility just hours before the strike, a statement from the Israeli Health ministry said. Medical transporter Yogev Vizman, called to the scene just after the blast, said he witnessed "total destruction" when he arrived. "That whole building was on collapsed, Vizman said. "I'm sad, this is like my home, they simply destroyed our home... I never thought there would be a direct hit on a hospital." Soldiers from the Israeli military's search and rescue unit searched the battered buildings to ensure nobody was trapped inside. An Israeli soldier told Reuters all he saw at first was "thick black smoke" and that they inspected every floor to look for casualties. "It's God's will that this place was evacuated from civilians last night," he said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Israeli official says 'it was a mistake' to say Bushehr was hit
By Jana Choukeir, Pesha Magid and Steven Scheer DUBAI/JERUSALEM (Reuters) -An Israeli military official said on Thursday that "it was a mistake" for a military spokesperson to have said earlier in the day that Israel had struck the Bushehr nuclear site in Iran. The official would only confirm that Israel had hit the Natanz, Isfahan and Arak nuclear sites in Iran. Pressed further on Bushehr, the official said he could neither confirm or deny that Israel had struck the location, where Iran has a reactor. The potential consequences of an attack on the plant -- contaminating the air and water -- have long been a concern in the Gulf states. Qatar's prime minister, in March, warned that an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities would "entirely contaminate" the waters of the Gulf and threaten life in Qatar, the UAE and Kuwait. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani warned that an attack on Iran's nuclear sites would leave the Gulf with "no water, no fish, nothing ... no life". Qatar, the UAE and Kuwait, facing Iran on the opposite side of the Gulf, have minimal natural water reserves and are home to more than 18 million people whose only supply of potable water is desalinated water drawn from the Gulf. Bushehr is Iran's only operating nuclear power plant, which sits on the Gulf coast, and uses Russian fuel that Russia then takes back when it is spent to reduce proliferation risk. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday said that Moscow had agreed with Israeli leaders that the safety of Russian workers at the site would be guaranteed. "Our specialists are on site. This is more than two hundred people. And we agreed with the leadership of Israel that their safety will be ensured," Putin told journalists. The Russian embassy in Iran said in a statement earlier on Thursday that Bushehr was operating normally and that it did not see any security threats. A source familiar with the matter told Reuters that contamination from any attack on Bushehr was the worst case Gulf countries were preparing for. The source stated that Gulf countries, in cooperation with the U.N. nuclear watchdog, had prepared a contingency plan for any attack on any nuclear plant in the region.
South China Morning Post
a day ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Israel strikes Iran's Arak heavy water reactor, state television says
Israel has attacked Iran's Arak heavy water reactor, Iranian state television said on Thursday. Advertisement The report said there was 'no radiation danger whatsoever' and that the facility had already been evacuated before the attack. Israel had warned earlier Thursday morning that it would attack the facility and urged the public to flee the area. The warning came in a social media post on X. It included a satellite image of the plant in a red circle, like other warnings that preceded strikes. 04:26 Trump says US 'may' or 'may not' strike Iran as Tehran rejects call to surrender Trump says US 'may' or 'may not' strike Iran as Tehran rejects call to surrender The Israeli military said Thursday's round of air strikes targeted Tehran and other areas of Iran, without elaborating. It later said Iran fired a new salvo of missiles at Israel and told the public to take shelter. Advertisement Israel's seventh day of air strikes on Iran 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'. Israel also lifted some restrictions on daily life, suggesting the missile threat from Iran on its territory was easing.
Arab News
a day ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Iran says committed to diplomacy but acts in ‘self-defense' against Israel
TEHRAN: Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Thursday his country has remained committed to 'diplomacy' but will continue to act in 'self-defense' following Israel's surprise attack nearly a week ago. 'Iran solely acts in self-defense. Even in the face of the most outrageous aggression against our people, Iran has so far only retaliated against the Israeli regime and not those who are aiding and abetting it,' said Araghchi in a post on X. 'With the exception of the illegitimate, genocidal and occupying Israeli regime, we remain committed to diplomacy,' he added.
