Israeli Scientists Scramble To Save Work After Iranian Missile Hits Labs
REHOVOT Israel:
Researchers at Israel's prestigious Weizmann Institute of Science have been scrambling to save their experiments after an Iranian missile destroyed a building containing dozens of cutting-edge laboratories.
The missile struck the institute's campus at Rehovot, on the southern periphery of Tel Aviv, in the early hours of Sunday, damaging multiple buildings and prompting researchers to clamber into the ruins to save samples even as fire raged.
No one was hurt as the campus was empty overnight, but one part of a building collapsed entirely, while in the remaining part, the walls were blown out, exposing a tangle of twisted metal, blasted debris and blackened cement.
"We did our best to save as much of the samples as we could from the labs, from the buildings, while we were fighting the fire," physicist Roee Ozeri, Weizmann's vice president for development and communications, told Reuters.
Israel began attacking Iran last Friday, saying its longtime enemy was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Iran, which says its nuclear programme is only for peaceful purposes, retaliated with missile and drone attacks on Israel.
Israel's strikes have killed several prominent Iranian nuclear scientists, wiped out the top echelon of Iran's military command, damaged nuclear capabilities and killed hundreds of civilians.
Iran's attacks have killed 24 civilians in Israel and damaged hundreds of structures, including a hospital in the southern city of Beersheba.
Iran has not said if or why it targeted the Weizmann Institute.
While most of the institute's research is in areas with potential benefits for medicine and scientific knowledge, it also has connections with defence. It announced in October 2024 a collaboration with Israel's largest defence firm, Elbit, on "bio-inspired materials for defence applications".
A multidisciplinary institution which carries out research in fields including genetics, immunology and astrophysics, Weizmann was founded in 1934 and is considered world-class within the international scientific community.
It is Israel's most important science research institute, with 286 research groups, 191 staff scientists and hundreds of PhD students, master's students and postdoctoral fellows.
'EVERYTHING IS LOST'
The Iranian missile hit the work of researchers such as Eldad Tzahor, who focuses on regenerative medicine with particular relevance to adult heart diseases. He said many samples and tissues that had been part of long-running experiments had been destroyed.
"Everything is lost," he told Reuters TV. "I would estimate that it will take us about a year to get into a full year of research and with everything working again."
In financial terms, the damage is estimated at $300-$500 million, according to the institute, which operates costly, complex machines, often shared between several labs or research groups.
Jacob Hanna, who runs a molecular genetics team focused on embryonic stem cell biology, told the scientific journal Nature that his lab's ceiling had collapsed and the staircase had detached.
His students managed to save hundreds of frozen mouse and human cell lines by transferring them to back-up liquid-nitrogen tanks that Hanna had stored in the basement, Nature reported.
"I was always worried that if a war actually happens, I don't want to lose these," he said.
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The Hindu
14 hours ago
- The Hindu
Israeli scientists at Weizmann Institute of Science scramble to save work after Iranian missile hits labs
Researchers at Israel's prestigious Weizmann Institute of Science have been scrambling to save their experiments after an Iranian missile destroyed a building containing dozens of cutting-edge laboratories. The missile struck the institute's campus at Rehovot, on the southern periphery of Tel Aviv, in the early hours of Sunday, damaging multiple buildings and prompting researchers to clamber into the ruins to save samples even as fire raged. No one was hurt as the campus was empty overnight, but one part of a building collapsed, while in the remaining part the walls were blown out, exposing a tangle of twisted metal, blasted debris and blackened cement. Israel-Iran conflict LIVE updates "We did our best to save as much of the samples as we could from the labs, from the buildings, while we were fighting the fire," physicist Roee Ozeri, Weizmann's vice president for development and communications, told Reuters. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the devastated site on Friday and praised the researchers as well as the rescuers of the country's emergency services, describing both groups as the "best of Israel." "This building behind me, next to me, says everything," Mr. Netanyahu said, pointing to the massive pile of rubble. "Iran is the pre-eminent terrorist regime in the world. It must not, cannot have nuclear weapons. That is the purpose of Israel's actions - to save itself from the Iranian threat of annihilation, but by doing so, we are saving many, many others.' Israel began attacking Iran on June 13, saying its longtime enemy was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Iran, which says its nuclear programme is only for peaceful purposes, retaliated with missile and drone attacks on Israel. Israel's strikes have killed several prominent Iranian nuclear scientists, wiped out the top echelon of Iran's military command, damaged nuclear capabilities and killed hundreds of civilians. Iran has not said if or why it targeted the Weizmann Institute. Last Thursday, the U.N. nuclear watchdog's 35-nation Board of Governors declared Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for the first time in almost 20 years. Iran has long maintained its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes. Iran's attacks have killed 24 civilians in Israel and damaged hundreds of structures, including a hospital in the southern city of Beersheba. While most of the institute's research is in areas with potential benefits for medicine and scientific knowledge, it also has connections with defence. It announced in October 2024 a collaboration with Israel's largest defence firm Elbit on "bio-inspired materials for defence applications". A multidisciplinary institution which carries out research in fields including genetics, immunology and astrophysics, Weizmann was founded in 1934 and is considered world-class within the international scientific community. It is Israel's most important science research institute, with 286 research groups, 191 staff scientists and hundreds of PhD students, master's students and postdoctoral fellows. 'Everything is lost' The Iranian missile hit the work of researchers such as Eldad Tzahor, who focuses on regenerative medicine with particular relevance to adult heart diseases. He said many samples and tissues that had been part of long-running experiments had been destroyed. "Everything is lost," he told Reuters TV. "I would estimate that it will take us about a year to get into a full year of research and with everything working again." In financial terms, the damage is estimated at $300-$500 million, according to the institute, which operates costly, complex machines, often shared between several labs or research groups. Jacob Hanna, who runs a molecular genetics team focused on embryonic stem cell biology, told the scientific journal Nature that his lab's ceiling had collapsed and the staircase had detached. His students managed to save hundreds of frozen mouse and human cell lines by transferring them to back-up liquid-nitrogen tanks that Hanna had stored in the basement, Nature reported. "I was always worried that if a war actually happens, I don't want to lose these," he said.
NDTV
a day ago
- NDTV
Israeli Scientists Scramble To Save Work After Iranian Missile Hits Labs
REHOVOT Israel: Researchers at Israel's prestigious Weizmann Institute of Science have been scrambling to save their experiments after an Iranian missile destroyed a building containing dozens of cutting-edge laboratories. The missile struck the institute's campus at Rehovot, on the southern periphery of Tel Aviv, in the early hours of Sunday, damaging multiple buildings and prompting researchers to clamber into the ruins to save samples even as fire raged. No one was hurt as the campus was empty overnight, but one part of a building collapsed entirely, while in the remaining part, the walls were blown out, exposing a tangle of twisted metal, blasted debris and blackened cement. "We did our best to save as much of the samples as we could from the labs, from the buildings, while we were fighting the fire," physicist Roee Ozeri, Weizmann's vice president for development and communications, told Reuters. Israel began attacking Iran last Friday, saying its longtime enemy was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Iran, which says its nuclear programme is only for peaceful purposes, retaliated with missile and drone attacks on Israel. Israel's strikes have killed several prominent Iranian nuclear scientists, wiped out the top echelon of Iran's military command, damaged nuclear capabilities and killed hundreds of civilians. Iran's attacks have killed 24 civilians in Israel and damaged hundreds of structures, including a hospital in the southern city of Beersheba. Iran has not said if or why it targeted the Weizmann Institute. While most of the institute's research is in areas with potential benefits for medicine and scientific knowledge, it also has connections with defence. It announced in October 2024 a collaboration with Israel's largest defence firm, Elbit, on "bio-inspired materials for defence applications". A multidisciplinary institution which carries out research in fields including genetics, immunology and astrophysics, Weizmann was founded in 1934 and is considered world-class within the international scientific community. It is Israel's most important science research institute, with 286 research groups, 191 staff scientists and hundreds of PhD students, master's students and postdoctoral fellows. 'EVERYTHING IS LOST' The Iranian missile hit the work of researchers such as Eldad Tzahor, who focuses on regenerative medicine with particular relevance to adult heart diseases. He said many samples and tissues that had been part of long-running experiments had been destroyed. "Everything is lost," he told Reuters TV. "I would estimate that it will take us about a year to get into a full year of research and with everything working again." In financial terms, the damage is estimated at $300-$500 million, according to the institute, which operates costly, complex machines, often shared between several labs or research groups. Jacob Hanna, who runs a molecular genetics team focused on embryonic stem cell biology, told the scientific journal Nature that his lab's ceiling had collapsed and the staircase had detached. His students managed to save hundreds of frozen mouse and human cell lines by transferring them to back-up liquid-nitrogen tanks that Hanna had stored in the basement, Nature reported. "I was always worried that if a war actually happens, I don't want to lose these," he said.
Indian Express
a day ago
- Indian Express
Israel killed several Iranian nuclear scientists. Then, Iran hit back
In an escalation of hostilities between Iran and Israel, Tehran appears to have struck back after the targeted assassinations of several Iranian nuclear scientists by Israel. A missile launched by Iran hit the prestigious Weizmann Institute of Science early Sunday, heavily damaging multiple research facilities and signalling a chilling new front in the widening conflict, one that directly targets scientific institutions and personnel. The missile strike, which did not result in any casualties, caused widespread destruction on the Rehovot campus, decimating labs, wrecking years of research, and sending shockwaves through Israel's scientific community. Two buildings were directly hit, including one dedicated to life sciences. Another structure, under construction and designated for chemistry research, was also badly damaged. Dozens of other buildings sustained collateral damage. Professor Oren Schuldiner, a neuroscientist whose lab of 16 years was obliterated, said: 'It's a moral victory for Iran. They managed to harm the crown jewel of science in Israel.' The attack follows a string of Israeli operations targeting Iran's nuclear program. Just days earlier, Israel had launched overnight airstrikes on several Iranian sites, including the headquarters of SPND, Iran's primary research organisation for nuclear weapons development. Those strikes reportedly killed multiple Iranian nuclear scientists and top military officials. By targeting the Weizmann Institute, a global leader in scientific research with strong ties to Israel's defence establishment, Iran appears to be delivering a message: Israeli scientists, long shielded from the frontlines of this shadow war, are no longer off-limits. Dr Yoel Guzansky, senior analyst at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv said: 'The Weizmann Institute symbolises Israeli scientific achievement…Iran is saying: you killed our scientists, now we're coming for yours,' Associated Press reported. The damage is both physical and psychological. According to scientists at the institute, years of research into cancer, tissue regeneration, and neurological disorders were lost. Labs containing genetically modified organisms, advanced microscopes, and irreplaceable data were destroyed. While Iran has previously attempted to target Israeli scientists, including an aborted assassination plot uncovered last year, Sunday's missile strike marks the first successful and direct attack on Israeli scientific infrastructure, AP reported. Founded in 1934, the Weizmann Institute has long been a symbol of Israeli innovation. Its alumni include Nobel laureates and Turing Award winners, and its collaborations with defence companies like Elbit Systems have further underscored its strategic value. Though the campus has since been closed, journalists allowed inside described scenes of devastation, collapsed ceilings, shattered glass, scorched walls, and debris-strewn hallways. 'All of our studies have stopped…Rebuilding will take years,' Professor Schuldiner said. 'This isn't just an attack on a building, it's an attack on knowledge, on our future, and on our ability to contribute to the world.'
