Israel and Iran exchange missile fire as tensions escalate
By Nathan Morley
Israel and Iran launched fresh missile attacks on each other overnight, intensifying a conflict that has already drawn in regional and global actors.
According to Israel’s emergency service Magen David Adom, at least 89 people were injured in the latest wave of Iranian strikes, including a direct hit on Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba. Israeli officials say the hospital sustained damage, though no fatalities have been confirmed.
Israel vows to retaliate
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed retaliation, warning that Iranian leaders would “pay a high price” for the attack. Iranian state media claimed the missile targeted an Israeli intelligence facility adjacent to the hospital, as well as a military command center.
Meanwhile, Israel issued evacuation warnings to residents of Khondab and Arak—two Iranian cities housing nuclear infrastructure—signaling possible strikes on sensitive sites. The Israeli military released alerts in both Arabic and Farsi, urging civilians to leave immediately.
There have been no confirmed casualty figures from Iran following Israeli strikes late Wednesday.
An escalating crisis
Meanwhile in Gaza, at least 18 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes in the early hours of Thursday, according to civil defense sources. Most of the victims were reportedly waiting for emergency aid near a distribution site in central Gaza.
As the conflict widens, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein has called for an emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers during this weekend’s Organization of Islamic Cooperation summit in Istanbul. The proposal, made during a call with his Egyptian counterpart, aims to coordinate a regional response to the escalating crisis.
In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that any U.S. military involvement would trigger “another terrible spiral of escalation.”
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