JC Israel Briefing Day 622: Iran hits Israeli hospital

President Isaac Herzog called it a direct assault on patients and medical staff. “A baby in intensive care. A mother by their bedside. A doctor rushing between beds. An elderly resident in a nursing home. These were some of the targets of Iran’s missile attacks on Israeli civilians this morning,” Herzog said, praising Soroka’s Jewish and Arab teams “united by the mission to heal”.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran’s leaders will “pay in full” for targeting civilians. Health Minister Uriel Buso called it a “war crime.” The Home Front Command kept shelters open, allowed only small gatherings near safe rooms and warned that more sirens could follow.

The attacks came after Donald Trump intensified threats against Tehran and called for Iran to “surrender,” as we reported yesterday. Russian President Vladimir Putin offered to mediate but mainly called for restraint.

Israel’s air force carried out a broad overnight assault inside Iran. The military said forty sites were hit, including missile launchers, command centers and aircraft shelters. The Arak heavy water reactor was bombed again to disable a key plutonium unit that could feed a future weapons program. At Kermanshah airfield, five Iranian helicopters were destroyed on the ground. A rights monitor in Washington reported at least 639 killed and over 1,300 wounded across Iran, but Tehran has not confirmed fresh figures since early in the week.

The UK government confirmed it would have to sign off on any US use of its Diego Garcia base for bombing raids on Iran. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer chaired an emergency Cobra meeting in London after returning from the G7. Ministers discussed scenarios and were told the UK remains focused on urging calm but will back Washington if strikes go ahead.

A mass return of Israelis stuck abroad is underway. El Al, Israir and Arkia flights from Cyprus and Europe landed at Ben Gurion Airport overnight. Officials said 70,000 citizens were stranded when airspace closed. Australia, New Zealand and China organized overland exits for their own nationals.

Inside Iran, hackers breached a state crypto exchange, Nobitex, after local media accused Israel of a separate TV broadcast hijack. Internet service stayed down for a twelfth straight hour in large parts of the country.

In Gaza, the IDF said four divisions are operating under a defined combat plan, hitting tunnels and Hamas compounds. Eighty-five aid trucks crossed yesterday, bringing the total since May 19 to 1,710. A soldier was killed and a reservist was critically wounded in fighting in Khan Younis.

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