UPD: The number of injured has increased to 65 people, reported the emergency service.
On the night of June 19, Iran launched 23 missiles at Israel, with attacks continuing in waves for several hours. Alarms sounded across most of the country, as well as in Samaria and Judea. Direct hits were recorded in Bat Yam, Holon, Be'er Sheva, and Ramat Gan. The emergency service "Magen David Adom" reported more than 30 injured.
In Holon, a missile hit a residential building, with at least one man trapped under the rubble. He is conscious, was in a shelter, and there is contact with him. Three severely injured people and one in moderate condition were taken to the hospital. Seven more people sustained minor injuries.
In Ramat Gan, a missile hit high-rise buildings in a densely populated residential area, injuring 20 people lightly.
An Iranian missile also struck one of the buildings of the Soroka hospital in Be'er Sheva, where there are casualties. There are concerns about a hazardous substance leak. Patients and staff are being evacuated. According to the hospital, significant damage has been done.
Part of the hospital building was evacuated yesterday. Patients and medical staff were preemptively moved to a more secure area due to fears of a possible strike. Currently, there is one known casualty.
Health Minister Uriel Busso called the hospital shelling a "terrorist act and a crossing of the red line." "The Ministry of Health was prepared in advance, and thanks to the immediate actions we took, we managed to prevent a severe catastrophe," Busso reported.
Iranian news agencies reported after footage of the destroyed hospital that the missile strike targeted the command and intelligence headquarters of the Israeli army near the Soroka hospital, which was damaged by the blast wave.
The day before, Israeli media reported the death of a Ukrainian family from Odessa as a result of the attack on June 15. The Burik family came to Israel in 2022 for their daughter's leukemia treatment. The girl's father, a Ukrainian Armed Forces serviceman, stayed in Ukraine and continued fundraising. During the attack, seven-year-old Nastya, her mother and grandmother, and two brothers, aged 9 and 13, were in an apartment in Bat Yam, all of whom died.
Iranian state television reported that Israel attacked the Iranian heavy water reactor in Arak, with the facility evacuated before the attack, as Israel had warned in advance that it would attack the site and urged the population to leave the area. The research reactor was partially constructed, and Tehran informed the IAEA that it plans to start operating the facility next year.
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed the attack on the reactor, stating that it was aimed at a component intended for plutonium production, eliminating the possibility of its reuse for nuclear weapons production.
In total, 40 air force fighters, under precise guidance from the intelligence directorate, attacked dozens of military targets in Tehran and other areas across Iran, using more than 100 munitions overnight.
Photo: Chaim Goldberg