Israeli hospital struck in latest Iranian ballistic missile barrage on Israel

( JPost )

An Iranian ballistic missile struck Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba on Thursday morning as sirens sounded across Israel following a barrage launched from Iran.

There has been damage to the hospital after it was hit in several areas, and there was a significant impact on the hospital's old surgical building, the hospital spokesperson stated.

Rescue teams have been operating at the scene to help people trapped in an elevator at the hospital, the Israel Fire and Rescue Service reported.

A man, about 80 years old, is in serious condition due to wounds from the blast and shrapnel, along with three other people seriously wounded in Holon.

A total of 89 people were wounded from the impacts across the country, Magen David Adom (MDA) said. Forty were wounded lightly from shrapnel and blast impact. Thirty-one people were injured while running to a shelter, and 13 people have been treated for anxiety, MDA added.

The IRGC attempted to justify the attack by claiming the medical center was located near a military command and intelligence center.

Fire and Rescue incident summary

Fire and Rescue services has finished their intensive field activity at the Soroka Medical Center with no casualties and no individuals trapped, Israel Fire and Rescue said in an incident summary statement on Thursday.

Due to the location of the impact, a dedicated HazMat team conducted a thorough environmental monitoring, ruling out any dangerous substances at the scene.

Operations were done in coordination with Israel Police, MDA, the Home Front Command, and hospital officials.

Fire and Rescue also said that several months ago, a specialized drill took place at Soroka in case of a missile attack. The drill proved to be effective in "improving preparedness and on-site response."

Rescue services at the scene of impact from the Iranian missile barrage

Medical teams have been working to evacuate all those wounded from the scene to hospitals, MDA said.

The Soroka hospital has been treating all those who were lightly wounded from the impact in its emergency room, the hospital's spokesperson said.

During the missile barrage, large blasts were heard across Israel as several other direct impact sites in central Israeli cities were reported.

At least three direct impact sites were reported in the initial aftermath of the sirens. MDA added that it was scanning the sites of further reported impacts.

At least 20 missiles were launched from Iranian territory, Israeli media reported.