Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, has declared that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, “can no longer be allowed to exist” following a devastating missile strike on Soroka Hospital in Beersheba on Thursday.
The missile hit multiple hospital wards, sparking a massive fire and leaving at least 40 people injured. Iran claims the strike was meant for a military target, but it landed within hospital grounds, causing widespread destruction.
“Khamenei gives direct orders to attack hospitals… Such a man can no longer be allowed to exist,” Katz said in a press briefing.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the attack, warning that Iran will “pay a heavy price” for targeting civilian and healthcare infrastructure.
The hospital’s director, Shlomi Codish, confirmed that surgical and other critical departments were severely damaged, with structural devastation across the entire medical facility.
This marks a major escalation in tensions between Israel and Iran, with possible implications for broader regional stability.
