Amid the ongoing hostilities between Israel and Iran, Soroka Hospital in Beersheba, southern Israel, suffered a direct missile hit on Thursday, according to Israel's foreign ministry and the Israel Defence Forces (IDF).
The strike caused significant damage to the hospital facility, which is the largest in southern Israel, serving over a million people and housing more than 1,000 beds.
The missile attack reportedly triggered fires and forced emergency evacuations within the hospital.
The impact was primarily on an older surgical building that had been recently vacated.
While there were no reports of severe casualties, several people sustained minor injuries.
The hospital was later closed to non-critical patients as a precautionary measure.
Other missiles landed in residential areas near Tel Aviv, injuring dozens, while rescue services responded to fires in high-rise buildings and continued efforts to move vulnerable patients to safer zones.
The strike on Soroka comes as part of a broader escalation in the conflict, which entered its seventh day. Israel launched the conflict with a surprise offensive on June 13, targeting Iranian nuclear and military infrastructure in what it called 'Operation Rising Lion'.
Since then, both sides have exchanged waves of missile and drone attacks.
In response to Iranian missile launches, the Israeli Air Force began a fresh series of airstrikes on Thursday, hitting multiple strategic sites across Iran, including nuclear-related facilities and military infrastructure.
Among the most significant targets was Iran's Arak heavy water reactor, a facility long viewed by Israel as a potential source for plutonium-based nuclear weapons development.
Israel claims the latest strikes focused on halting Iran's capacity to enrich uranium and assemble missile components, targeting production facilities and R&D centres involved in the nuclear programme.
Similar operations have also been conducted around other nuclear-related sites, such as Natanz and Isfahan.
The IDF issued warnings in Farsi to civilians in Arak and Khondab, urging them to evacuate, and confirmed operations were ongoing in those areas.
Emergency plans across Israeli hospitals have also been activated over the past week, with patients being relocated to underground shelters, particularly those requiring intensive care or assisted ventilation.
The ongoing exchange of fire has resulted in significant casualties and damage on both sides.
Hundreds have reportedly been killed or injured in Iran, including civilians, while Israel has sustained fatalities and widespread damage despite its advanced missile defense systems intercepting much of the incoming fire.
The conflict remains highly volatile, with both nations signaling that further military operations are possible in the coming days.
-- with inputs from agencies
