**Iranian Missiles Hit Israeli Hospital as Defense Minister Threatens Khamenei** BEERSHEBA, Israel** — Israeli Defense Minister **Israel Katz** vowed
retaliation against Iran’s supreme leader Thursday after a **ballistic missile barrage** struck Soroka Medical
Center in southern Israel and residential areas near Tel Aviv, wounding **at least 240 people**. The attack triggered immediate Israeli airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, increasing concerns of further escalation.
**Hospital Under Fire**
As smoke billowed from Soroka Medical Center—the largest hospital in southern Israel serving 1 million residents , including Jewish, Arab, and Bedouin populations ** of Israel’s Negev region—staff rushed to evacuate **700 patients**, though many already relocated to underground wards due to prior warnings.
- **Casualties**: 80 patients and medical staff were injured, mostly with light wounds.
- **Weapon Used**: One missile carried **cluster munitions**, scattering bomblets across the area (Israeli Home Front Command).
- **Infrastructure Damage**: The blast crippled the hospital’s surgery wing and severed **gas, water, and HVAC systems**.
**Katz’s Chilling Warning**
In a televised statement, Katz blamed **Ayatollah Ali Khamenei** for the attack, declaring:
*”The Israeli military has been instructed: To achieve our goals, this man [Khamenei] must not continue to exist.”*
The threat came as Israeli jets launched **counterstrikes on Iran’s nuclear program**—a pattern of retaliation that has intensified since the war began.
**U.S. Weighs Intervention**
The White House announced President **Donald Trump** will decide within **two weeks** whether to join Israel’s campaign against Iran. Press Secretary **Karoline Leavitt** read Trump’s statement: *”With potential negotiations pending, I’ll make my decision shortly.”*
**Ground-Level Horror**
Doctors described a **”sudden, deafening explosion”** after sirens sounded. *”The walls shook—we thought the safe room would collapse,”* said one surgeon, speaking anonymously. Iran denies targeting the hospital, claiming it struck a nearby **military tech hub (C4i unit)**. Soroka had **pre-emptively moved patients underground**, preventing mass casualties.
