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Iran Launches Missile Barrage: Soroka Hospital Hit, 147 Wounded, 6 Seriously

Photo credit: Zeev Dickman, Israeli Fire and Rescue Authority

Air raid sirens blared across Israel early Thursday morning as Iran launched a large-scale ballistic missile attack targeting nearly the entire country • Full Story, Video

The Yeshivah World

Air raid sirens blared across Israel early Thursday morning as Iran launched a large-scale ballistic missile attack targeting nearly the entire country.

Civilians were ordered to remain in bomb shelters as more than 20 ballistic missiles were launched from Iranian territory, according to Israeli media. The barrage was significantly larger than previous salvos in the ongoing conflict between the two nations.

Large explosions echoed across southern Israel, and reports quickly emerged of seven missile impact sites in Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan, Holon, and Beersheba.

One of the most serious incidents occurred in Beer Sheva, where a missile directly struck Soroka Medical Center — one of the country’s major hospitals. A spokesperson for the hospital confirmed that several areas of the facility sustained “extensive damage” and that there were casualties. Rescue teams worked to extract individuals trapped in an elevator as a result of the blast. The hospital has asked the public not to arrive for treatment unless absolutely necessary.

A doctor at Soroka told Kan News that the hospital narrowly avoided an even greater tragedy. “Just yesterday, we evacuated the old surgical building that took a direct hit today. It’s a great miracle,” he said.

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

Rescue worker Eli Tobol said, “We arrived at the scene in Ramat Gan without entry points, we couldn’t get into the apartments. A resident led me to the parking lot, and from there 24 fighters entered and started climbing the floors—up to the 26th floor. We rescued dozens of residents by hand and opened a passage for the Home Front Command.

“On the way out, I heard a woman together with a young man and a baby screaming for help. We took the baby—a few months old—wrapped in blankets, and handed him over to a Border Police officer who went down the stairs. I went inside to help get the child out, four and a half years old. He was afraid to go out, I started talking to him and calming him down. He is about the age of my child, four and a half. We saved dozens of residents, we rescued them through a staircase, part of which collapsed, risking our lives.”

The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange was seriously damaged in the strike.

The missile barrage came shortly after Israel struck Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor — a critical component of Tehran’s nuclear infrastructure. Iranian state media confirmed the strike and claimed there was “no radiation danger whatsoever,” adding that the site had been evacuated prior to the attack. Israel had issued public warnings earlier in the morning, urging residents near the facility to flee.

The Arak reactor was still under construction and was slated to become operational next year, according to reports Iran submitted to the International Atomic Energy Agency.