Netanyahu says Iran will 'pay heavy price' after hospital hit in southern Israel
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran would "pay a heavy price" after a hospital in southern Israel was hit during an Iranian missile attack on Thursday, while his defence minister said Iran's supreme leader would be "held accountable".
"This morning, Iran's terrorist dictators fired missiles at Soroka Hospital... and at civilians in the centre of the country. We will make the tyrants in Tehran pay a heavy price," Netanyahu said in a post on X.
The Soroka Hospital in the southern town of Beersheba was left in flames following an early morning barrage of "dozens" of Iranian ballistic missiles, with impacts also reported in two Israeli towns close to coastal hub Tel Aviv.
Speaking at the scene of the hospital, director Shlomi Kodesh said that a surgical building which had been evacuated in the past few days was hit, adding that 40 people had sustained injuries.
"Several wards were completely demolished and there is extensive damage across the entire hospital with damage to buildings, structures, windows, ceilings across the medical centre," he told journalists.
Iran said it was targeting an Israeli military and intelligence base, not the health facility.
The latest escalation came on the seventh day of deadly exchanges between the two countries, with US President Donald Trump maintaining suspense about whether Washington will enter the war alongside Israel.
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has rejected Trump's demand for an "unconditional surrender", despite claims from the US leader that "Iran's got a lot of trouble and they want to negotiate".
Trump has left his intentions on joining the conflict deliberately ambiguous, saying Wednesday: "I may do it, I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do."
"The next week is going to be very big," he added, without further details.
Any US involvement would be expected to involve the bombing of a crucial underground Iranian nuclear facility in Fordow, for which special bunker-busting bombs have been developed.
The White House said Trump would receive an intelligence briefing on Thursday, a US holiday. Top US diplomat Marco Rubio is set meet his British counterpart for talks expected to focus on the conflict.
"I have ideas as to what to do, but I haven't made a final (decision)," Trump said. "I like to make the final decision one second before it's due, because things change. Especially with war."
The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump had told aides on Tuesday he had approved attack plans but was holding off to see if Iran would give up its nuclear programme.
Trump told reporters that Iranian officials "want to come to the White House", a claim denied by Tehran.
The US president had favoured a diplomatic route to end Iran's nuclear programme, seeking a deal to replace the 2015 agreement he tore up in his first term.
But since Israel unleashed the campaign against Iran last week, Trump has stood behind the key US ally.
On Thursday morning, Israel said it had carried out dozens of fresh raids on Iranian targets overnight, including the partially built Arak nuclear reactor and a nuclear facility in Natanz that has been struck previously.
The Israeli military said the Arak site on the outskirts of the village of Khondab in central Iran had been hit "to prevent the reactor from being restored and used for nuclear weapons development".
The military campaign has sparked calls for a return to diplomacy.
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Middle East Eye
31 minutes ago
- Middle East Eye
Parnia Abbasi: Iranian poet killed by Israel whose bright future became a 'fading star'
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Middle East Eye
31 minutes ago
- Middle East Eye
The Turkish public asks: After Israel's attack on Iran, are we next?
A day before Israel attacked Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was at the Knesset, welcoming Argentinian President Javier Milei with open arms. "Argentina became a safe haven for thousands of Jews," Milei told Israeli politicians. "They sought refuge from economic hardship and antisemitic persecution. Not only in Eastern Europe, but also in the Ottoman Empire. "An empire that I don't think will be renewed anytime soon, even though there are those who disagree with me." The remarks, which were clearly directed at Turkey and its long-serving President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, were not lost on officials in Ankara. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters A burgeoning regional power, Turkey has played an outsized role in the Middle East since the so-called Arab Spring uprisings of the 2010s. Amid the new power dynamic that has taken shape in the region, Ankara has seen its stock increase in major western capitals. Such has been its rise that on Thursday, Turkey was among a small group of US allies notified in advance that Israel would be launching its attack on Iran. Hours later, early on Friday, Israel began its assault on Iran's military and nuclear facilities, and started assassinating high-profile security, intelligence and military commanders, along with nuclear scientists. The attacks, which also targeted residential areas and civilian infrastructure, have so far killed more than 500 people and wounded at least 1,300, many of them civilians. In response, Iran has fired barrages of missiles towards Haifa, Tel Aviv and other major Israeli cities. Turkey has lamented the escalation, describing Israel's assault as unprovoked, especially at a time when US intelligence suggested Iran was not actively pursuing a nuclear weapon. While the escalation has been characterised as sudden, and one that has caught many regional states by surprise, Ankara was long bracing for an Israeli attack on Iran. In September, when Israel killed Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, Turkish officials studied possible scenarios in the event of a severe Israeli attack and a potential wider regional conflict. They prepared contingency plans, including measures against possible waves of refugees. In October, Ankara also initiated negotiations with the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Abdullah Ocalan, to prevent the group from being used as a proxy by either Iran or Israel. Israel-Turkey relations Turkey has historically maintained good ties with Israel, despite ups and downs due to Israel's wars with the region's countries. Turkey was the first Muslim country to recognise Israel, in 1949, and gradually became an ally of Tel Aviv in the 1990s, when the Turkish security apparatus needed its help to counter the PKK during a period of domestic instability. Since Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan took power in 2003, the relationship has gradually deteriorated from a strategic partnership to that of neighbours who frequently confront each other over the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza and elsewhere. 'This isn't Turkey's war. Yet it shows that we should… take relevant steps to prepare us for any possible future risk and options' - Ankara insider Relations soured after Israel raided the Mavi Marmara ferry in 2010, killing 10 Turkish activists in international waters, but they later improved. But tensions heightened again in late 2023 when Ankara decided to walk back from the rapprochement due to the war on Gaza, which Turkish officials believe constitutes a genocide. Since Israel's campaigns to degrade Hezbollah last year and the fall of the Assad dynasty in Syria, the region has been transformed by Netanyahu's actions. Where Iran once dominated, Israel is now increasingly the key regional power. Israeli officials have publicly begun to state that the only other player with significant resources they face is Turkey. How Turkey and Qatar are playing an outsized role in Trump's new Middle East Read More » Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has reiterated several times since December that the region should not be dominated by any single power, including Turkey itself. The first significant challenge between Turkey and Israel was Syria, as Netanyahu's government made sure to oppose any Turkish bases with radar and air defence installations in southern Syria. American officials, worried about possible incidents, encouraged both countries to hold talks, resulting in the establishment of a hotline between Turkey and Israel in April. 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Erdogan himself responded to the attack by calling regional leaders, and US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. He also made specific calls to Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani, both of whom lead Turkey's land neighbours. Turkish readouts suggest Erdogan specifically advised them not to get involved in the recent escalation between Israel and Iran. On Monday, Erdogan said that Turkey was accelerating its medium- and long-range ballistic missile programme and deepening its deterrence to make Turkey a country no one would dare to defy. He vowed on Wednesday that Turkey would make its defence industry completely independent. He later shared his speech on X, featuring the Ottoman Imperial seal, as Netanyahu referenced last week. "The victorious army of the Ottoman Empire had a principle," Erdogan said. "If you want independence, if you want freedom, if you want to live on this land with your honour, dignity, and integrity, if you want economic prosperity, if you want abundance, wealth, and harmony, if you want peace, you must always be ready for war."
The National
36 minutes ago
- The National
US bombers line up at Diego Garcia base as Iran strike looms
The airbase that could be used to launch bunker-busting strikes on Iran has seen an influx of heavy American bombers and fighters. Satellite images taken three days ago show the presence of four B-52s that can technically drop the 13,600kg GBU-57 bomb needed to penetrate Iran's underground nuclear network. They were spotted by commercial satellite imagery company Planet Labs, and traces how the balance of aircraft at the base has changed as the situation in the Middle East deteriorated. Six F-15 multirole warplanes have also arrived in recent days and would be used to protect the airbase from Iran drone or cruise missile attack. Six KC-135 tankers are also there, giving America the option to refuel aircraft on the approach to Iran if required. There is also the prospect that with aircraft movement into Diego Garcia remaining fluid, B-2 Spirit stealth bombers could also land there, having been spotted in recent months. Diego Garcia, the largest of the Chagos Islands, has been used as the site of a joint UK-US military base since the 1970s due to its strategically important position in the Indian Ocean. The UK recently signed a deal to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, with an agreement to lease Diego Garcia for £101 million each year for the next 99 years. Critics of the deal said the UK risks losing an important strategic presence in the Indian Ocean. Diego Garcia would likely be used as a base for a 'stand-off' attack on Iran, The National has been told. 'While they can drop the GBU-57, the fact they have to fly straight and level means that the B-52 would be sitting ducks if used over Iran,' said military aviation expert Tim Ripley. 'But they carry 20 cruise missiles, which they can launch from a distance.' The total value of the jets currently present is approaching $1.5 billion which contrasts with the $12 billion cost of the six B-2s that were at the base two months ago and appear to have been moved back to the US. It is understood that they were there to be used against the Houthis in Yemen as part of America's bombing campaign before a ceasefire was agreed. They are the most expensive aircraft ever built and the only ones certified to drop GBU-57 bombs. Their departure makes it more likely that if US President Donald Trump decides to support Israel by attacking Iran's Fordow nuclear facility hidden in a mountain, the strike will be launched from America. The B-2s would fly from their Whiteman air force base in Missouri direct to the site near Qom − a distance of 11,200km distance. While that is at the very limit of their range, they will be able to receive air-to-air refuelling from tankers stationed in the Middle East and Europe. The Diego Garcia deployment is part of a widespread movement of US warplanes into the region as the possibility of a US attack on Iran increases. A fleet of more than 30 air-to-air refuelling tankers have crossed the Atlantic and are now stationed at airbases across Europe and the Middle East. They have been joined by squadrons of F-22 and F-35 stealth fighters that will be on hand for a major air attack alongside the jets from what will soon be two US aircraft carriers in the region, once the USS Nimitz arrives from the Pacific. But as the Diego Garcia base is a British overseas territory, permission would be required from London before any raid on Iran is undertaken. The UK is likely to face domestic opposition to joining the US in the conflict. Prime Minister Keir Starmer held an emergency Cobra meeting upon his return to the UK from the G7 summit to discuss the UK's response to the crisis. Attorney General Lord Richard Hermer reportedly raised concerns about the legality of the UK's involvement, advising that the UK should limit this to 'defensive' support. However, Sir John Sawers, former head of MI6, on Thursday told the Chatham House think tank's London Conference that he did not see obstacles to a UK green light for use of the archipelago for an Iran mission. 'If American bombers do strike they will almost certainly do so from Diego Garcia,' he said. 'We've just negotiated a long-term lease so there could be an American base on Diego Garcia. I don't see Keir Starmer saying, 'oh, but you can't use it. I'm afraid'. I don't see that. 'It's very straightforward. They've got an American base there and whole purpose of Diego Garcia is so the Americans can use it when they need to use it.' There are some concerns that further escalation with Iran would have the undesired effect of re-enforcing its nuclear ambitions. Former National Security Adviser Lord Peter Ricketts said the UK 'should not' support potential US strikes on Iran. 'The only way we're going to control Iran's nuclear ambitions in the long term is by having a deal with them,' he said. 'I think just coming back and bombing them every few years is not going to make the world safer. In fact, it's going to reinforce their determination to keep working on a nuclear weapon when this round of fighting is over,' he said.
