Israel Intensifies Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites, Iranian Missiles Hit Israeli Hospital
As the conflict between Iran and Israel escalates, Israel said it had struck Iranian nuclear sites on Thursday, while Iran’s missiles targeted a main hospital in southern Israel.
Following the attack, Israel threatened Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as the US is still weighing options over Washington’s potential involvement in the conflict.
Bombing Iran’s Nuclear Sites
On Thursday, Israel said it had targeted several nuclear sites in Iran, including Natanz and Isfahan, reported Reuters. It also said had struck the Khondab nuclear site near Arak overnight.
Iran was building a heavy-water research reactor at the Arak site. Heavy-water reactors are used to produce plutonium, which can be utilized to make the core of an atomic bomb.
The Israeli military said its fighter jets hit the facility to prevent it from producing plutonium, according to the Associated Press (AP).
“The strike targeted the component intended for plutonium production, in order to prevent the reactor from being restored and used for nuclear weapons development,” it said.
No Radiation Risks at Arak
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said that the heavy-water research reactor had been hit, but did not contain nuclear materials at the time of the strike. Therefore, there is no risk of nuclear radiation.
“IAEA has information the Khondab (former Arak) heavy water research reactor, under construction, was hit. It was not operational and contained no nuclear material, so no radiological effects,” the UN watchdog said in a statement.
“At present, IAEA has no information indicating the Khondab heavy water plant was hit,” it added.
Hitting Israeli Hospital
Iranian missiles hit Israel’s Soroka hospital, a main hospital in the southern city of Beersheba. According to the director-general of the hospital, a missile strike had destroyed many wards, injuring 40 people, most of them of the hospital’s staff and patients.
“We’re trying to minimize the number of people at Soroka. At the moment, we don’t know if buildings may collapse or if wards might collapse,” he told reporters at the site.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said that their strikes were aimed at Israeli military and intelligence headquarters located under the hospital – a claim that an Israeli official denied.
Moreover, Iranian missiles struck a residential building in Ramat Gan, east of Tel Aviv, according to Reuters.
Israel Threatens Khamenei
Following the attack on Soroka hospital, Israeli officials threatened Iran of consequences. The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said that Tehran’s “tyrants” would pay the “full price.”
Meanwhile, the Israeli Defense Minister, Israel Katz, blamed the attack on Khamenei, hinting that he should be eliminated. He said that the Israeli military “has been instructed and knows that in order to achieve all of its goals, this man absolutely should not continue to exist.”
Escalating War
As the Iran-Israel conflict entered its seventh day, both sides continue to trade air and missile strikes. So far, Iran has launched 450 missiles and 1,000 drones toward Israel, the AP reported citing an Israeli military official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
He noted that the Israeli operation began in western Iran before moving toward Tehran and the center, adding that the Israeli military is now shifting its attacks to eastern Iran.
Moreover, the Israeli military on Thursday said that Iran used a missile with multiple warheads in its attack, which poses a difficult challenge to air defense systems.
Meanwhile, an Israeli official told the AP that Israel has destroyed about two-thirds of Iran’s ballistic missile launchers, with over 100 missile launchers remaining active, according to Israeli estimates.
Iran has stopped releasing updates on the death toll. According to its latest update on Monday, Israeli strikes killed 224 people and injured 1,277 others. As for Israel, Iranian strikes have killed at least 24 people and wounded hundreds.
US Involvement
The US President, Donald Trump, on Wednesday said that he was still considering joining Israel’s war on Iran. “I may do it, I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do,” he said.
In response, the IRGC on Thursday warned against the US direct intervention in the conflict. “We warn the criminal United States: any direct involvement in this war would lead to its expansion across the region and will result in severe and irreparable blows,” it said in a statement carried by Iranian state TV.
Furthermore, Russia repeated its warnings to the US over its potential involvement in the conflict. On Thursday, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, said the US intervention would be “an extremely dangerous step with truly unpredictable negative consequences.”
