Monday, 25 May 2026
Israel strikes Iranian nuclear facilities as Iranian missiles hit Israeli hospital
WASHINGTON/DUBAI/JERUSALEM — Israel launched an attack on a critical Iranian nuclear facility on Thursday, while Iranian missiles struck an Israeli hospital, Reuters reported.
The developments unfolded as President Donald Trump continued to withhold clarification on whether the United States would join Israel in airstrikes aimed at dismantling Tehran’s nuclear infrastructure.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed his commitment to pursuing Israel's largest offensive against Iran to date until Tehran’s nuclear ambitions are completely dismantled, declaring that the “tyrants in Tehran will pay the full price.”
Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that the military had been ordered to escalate strikes on strategic sites in Tehran, with the goal of neutralizing threats to Israel and undermining the “Ayatollah regime.”
Netanyahu has previously asserted that the ongoing military campaign could bring about the downfall of Iran’s government, vowing that Israel will take any measures necessary to eliminate the “existential threat” posed by Tehran.
Over the past week, Israeli air and missile strikes against its main adversary have decimated the upper ranks of Iran’s military leadership, inflicted significant damage on its nuclear program, and resulted in hundreds of casualties. In retaliation, Iranian missile attacks have claimed the lives of at least two dozen civilians in Israel.
The Israeli military stated that it targeted the Khondab nuclear reactor in Arak, central Iran, overnight, including a heavy-water research reactor still under construction. Heavy-water reactors are capable of producing plutonium, which, like enriched uranium, can serve as the core material in a nuclear weapon.
Iranian news outlets reported that two projectiles landed near the facility, but there were no reports of radiation hazards.
According to the Israeli military, another strike was conducted in the Natanz area, targeting a site housing components and specialized equipment used in the advancement of nuclear weapons technology.
Iran maintains that its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes and denies any intention to develop atomic weapons. The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran stated that Israel’s latest strikes represented “a renewed violation of international law,” adding that no casualties had been reported due to the evacuation of the targeted areas.
On Thursday morning, several Iranian missiles struck populated areas in Israel, including a hospital in the country’s south, according to an Israeli military spokesperson.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard claimed the missiles were aimed at Israeli military and intelligence sites located near the Soroka Medical Center in the southern city of Beersheba. Soroka confirmed that it had sustained damage from the attack.