An Iranian missile hit a major hospital in the south of Israel on Thursday, sparking a pledge from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “exact the full price” from Tehran in response.
The hospital strike threatens to ratchet up hostilities after a week that has seen Israel kill top Iranian regime officials and pummel atomic sites while Tehran responds with volleys of ballistic missiles.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in response: “The Prime Minister and I have instructed the IDF to increase the intensity of attacks against strategic targets in Iran and against government targets in Tehran in order to remove threats to the State of Israel and undermine the ayatollah’s regime,” referring to the Israel Defense Forces.
With the Middle East teetering on the brink of another devastating war, U.S. President Donald Trump is seriously considering joining the Israeli attack on Iran. The American military possesses the firepower Israel would need to target a vital underground nuclear facility.
Thursday morning, patients and staff hid in shelters at the Soroka Medical Center in southern Israel where the Iranian strike caused significant damage, according to The Times of Israel.
“We will exact the full price from the tyrants in Tehran,” Netanyahu vowed Thursday morning in response to the Iranian strikes.
Meanwhile, Israel hit Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor on Thursday morning, according to Iranian state TV.
Heavy water used in Arak helps cool nuclear reactors but also produces plutonium as a byproduct, which could be used to produce nuclear weapons. Under the now-scrapped 2015 nuclear deal, Iran agreed to redesign the facility to relieve proliferation concerns.
According to Iranian state media, there was “no radiation danger whatsoever,” and the facility had been evacuated prior to the strike. Earlier on Thursday, the Israel Defense Forces posted a warning on social media, urging residents to evacuate Arak city.
Iran launched around 30 ballistic missiles at Israel Thursday morning, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Other rockets hit apartments in central Israel, seriously wounding three people.
European politicians have called for restraint from both countries; however, their diplomatic efforts have so far yielded few results.
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