Israel attacks Iran’s Arak heavy-water nuclear reactor: Report

The Reuters news agency, citing Iranian state television, reports that the Arak heavy-water reactor has been attacked in Iran. Earlier, the Israeli military issued threats to people living in the vicinity of the reactor to evacuate immediately.

Israel bombs near Khondab heavy water facility: Iranian media

An area near the heavy-water research reactor in Khondab, part of Iran’s nuclear programme, was hit by Israel, the Iranian Student News Agency (ISNA) reports.

Officials announced the facility was evacuated prior to the attack and there is no radiation risk, ISNA added. The research reactor was partially built and previously known as Arak, with Tehran informing the UN nuclear watchdog that it plans to operate the facility next year.

What is the Arak heavy water reactor?

‘All necessary options on the table’, warns Iran’s deputy FM

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi has issued another warning to the US against direct military intervention.

In comments carried by Reuters news agency, Gharibabadi said Iran does not want the conflict to expand, but is ready to act and “teach aggressors a lesson” if necessary. Iran’s military decision-makers have “all necessary options on the table”, he said.

Iranian atomic organisation denounces Israeli attack on Khondab

The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran has condemned Israel’s attack on the Shahid Khondab (also known as Arak) heavy water complex and its research reactor.

“In continued violation of international laws that explicitly prohibit attacks on nuclear facilities, the Zionist enemy launched an assault this morning targeting the Shahid Khondab heavy water complex and its research reactor,” the organisation said in a statement.

It added that no casualties have been reported and that “due to preemptive safety measures taken beforehand, there is no threat or harm posed to residents in the vicinity of the mentioned site”.

The organisation said: “It is worth noting that the recent threats and aggressions by the criminal Zionist regime had previously been reported to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on several occasions, but regrettably, no action was taken by the Agency.

“Nonetheless, this morning’s assault has also been reported to the IAEA.”

Explosions heard over Jerusalem, Tel Aviv as Iran missiles target Israel

Several explosions have been heard over both cities as air alerts were activated from central to northern Israel as a new wave of Iranian missiles targeted the country. Israeli media are reporting at least four missile impact sites in Israel. There were no further details.

Israel’s Soroka hospital damaged in missile attack: Report

Israeli media has reported damage to the Soroka hospital in Be’er Sheva in southern Israel following the latest Iranian missile attack. Missiles were also reported to have come down in Tel Aviv and Ramat Gan to the east and Holon to the south.

Roof collapses at Soroka Hospital after missile strike: Report

Iranian ballistic missile impact at Soroka Hospital in Beersheba https://t.co/8ih9H2QXUf pic.twitter.com/CxIfjLgMBq

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) June 19, 2025

Iranian state media: Strikes targeted Israeli army, intelligence facility

IRNA, the Islamic Republic News Agency, has said on Telegram that the “main target” of this morning’s missile attack “was the large [Israeli army] Command and Intelligence (IDF C4I) headquarters and the military intelligence camp in the Gav-Yam Technology Park”.

It said that this facility is located next to Soroka hospital in Be’er Sheva. IRNA claimed that the hospital only suffered minor damage from the shockwave resulting from the missile strike.

“The military infrastructure was a precise and direct target,” it said.

Heavy damage reported at four sites in Israel after Iran missile attack

There were four impact sites. Three in central Israel, in the Gush Dan area as it is called. So that is the larger Tel Aviv area. There was heavy damage sustained to some buildings. One in Holon is reported to have collapsed. There was also an impact site … near Soroka hospital.

This is a very large hospital in Israel. It receives, right now in the context of the war on Gaza, a lot of injured soldiers.

The hospital itself, that we know, was not the target. It was a building next to it that was struck. But it sustained heavy damage and medical crews are inviting the public not to approach the impact site.

They are still going through the buildings and the rubble to make sure that nobody is stuck under the debris. Up to 25 people have been injured and these are very initial numbers.


_{Emergency personnel work at an impact site following a missile strike from Iran on Israel, in Ramat Gan, Israel on June 19}

More than two dozen injured following missile strike in Holon


_{Israeli emergency services work at the site of an Iranian missile attack on a building in Holon in central Israel, on June 19}

Earlier, we reported that an Iranian missile had struck the Holon area of Tel Aviv district. Israeli’s Magen David Adom emergency services have now announced that one person has been seriously injured in that attack, while more than two dozen others have been lightly injured.

#شاهد | اشتعال النيران وتصاعد الدخان من إحدى المواقع التي سقط بها صاروخ إيراني قبل قليل في "حولون" قرب "تل أبيب". pic.twitter.com/iWrY3QgZjl

— المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام (@PalinfoAr) June 19, 2025

At least 30 injured in Israel after massive missile strike


_{Emergency personnel work at an impact site following a strike from Iran on Israel, in Ramat Gan, Israel, on June 19}

Our correspondent in Amman, Jordan, Nour Odeh, says that among the wounded, two are in a critical condition. As we’ve been reporting, Iranian missiles hit the city of Be’er Sheva in southern Israel, damaging Soroka hospital, as well as in Tel Aviv.

Odeh said that damage to the hospital was the result of a blast wave, not a direct missile hit, corroborating claims by Iranian state media that the target of the attack was a “sensitive” site adjacent to the hospital.

A spokesperson for Israel’s ambulance service has told Israeli media that there is no leak of dangerous materials from the hospital, addressing circulating rumours to that effect.

The Israeli stock exchange building in Tel Aviv was also damaged in the strikes, Odeh added.

Iran crossed a ‘red line’ targeting Soroka hospital: Israeli health minister

Israeli Health Minister Uriel Buso said that Iran has crossed a red line by targeting Soroka hospital in Be’er Sheva in the south of the country with a missile.

“This is a war crime committed by the Iranian regime,” Buso was cited as saying by Israel’s Army Radio.

Israeli media has reported damage to the hospital following the latest Iranian missile attack.

תיעוד: בית החולים סורוקה לאחר שספג פגיעה ישירה; פגיעות ישירות נוספות גם בתל אביב ובחולון - לא ידוע על נפגעים@Doron_Kadosh pic.twitter.com/JK9f2UlB3q

— גלצ (@GLZRadio) June 19, 2025

Tit for tat :/ https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israeli-strike-damages-hospital-west-iran-mutual-attacks-kill-dozens

However mainstream media is reporting this as a direct hit, of course.

Israeli officials express outrage over attack damaging Soroka hospital

More Israeli officials have slammed an Iranian attack that caused damage to one of Israel’s largest hospitals.

“Deliberate. Criminal. Civilian target,” said Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel, as she shared footage on social media of patients and staff at Soroka hospital, apparently fleeing the heavily damaged and smoke-filled facility. “The world must speak out.”

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said that vulnerable hospital patients were “targets of Iran’s missile attacks on Israeli civilians”.

“In moments like these, we are reminded of what’s truly at stake, and the values we are defending,” he wrote on social media.

As we reported earlier, Iran’s official IRNA news agency claims that an Israeli military command and intelligence site located near the hospital was the “main target” of this morning’s missile attack.

How dare they talk about values. Hospitals should never be hit, yet Israel continually targets healthcare, hospitals, aid workers, rescue equipment.
https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/12/pattern-israeli-attacks-gaza-hospitals-raises-grave-concerns-report

Israel’s injury toll rises to 47

The number of people injured from Iran’s latest missile barrage in Israel is now 47, with three in a serious condition and two in a moderate condition, according to Israel’s emergency rescue service.

Eighteen more people have been injured while rushing to shelters, said the emergency service.

Trip and fall injuries?

Iran’s latest attacks have struck at ‘heart’ of Israel

In Israel, there was a sense that its government “might be getting things under control”, but Iran’s latest attacks have struck at the “heart” of the country, says Ori Goldberg, an Israeli political commentator.

While the missiles hit the entire country, Israeli authorities are focusing on the hospital which was hit, Soroka hospital in the country’s south, trying to send a “message that the Iranians target hospitals”, Goldberg told Al Jazeera, speaking from Tel Aviv.

“Of course, Israelis target hospitals as well. It’s important to mention that there really are very sensitive installations and headquarters very near to the hospital because Israel places its military headquarters in the midst of civilian neighbourhoods and towns,” he added.

Goldberg explained that information about attacks is not readily accessible either.

“You have to remember that just as Al Jazeera is censored and access to images is censored by Israeli authorities … Israeli citizens don’t get to see much on our official media either,” Goldberg said.

“We also operate under heavy censorship, so there are basically rumours and reports being released gradually, but it’s clear that the Iranians struck and struck in important and significant places.”

Netanyahu says Iran will pay ‘heavy price’ for missile attack

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned Iran will “pay a heavy price” after its missile attack damaged Israel’s Soroka hospital in Be’er Sheva.

“This morning, Iran’s terrorist dictators fired missiles at Soroka Hospital in Be’er Sheva and at civilians in the centre of the country,” Netanyahu wrote in a post on X. “We will make the tyrants in Tehran pay a heavy price.”

Israelis ultimately in support of war with Iran

The more Israel is attacked by Iran, “the easier it is for the Israeli government to harp on themes like national resilience”, says Ori Goldberg, an Israeli political commentator.

“Israeli citizens, what they do in a situation like this is dissociate,” the analyst told Al Jazeera, speaking from Tel Aviv. “There’ll be a lot of insinuations that could be construed as critical, but ultimately they will support the war.”

As far as their personal lives go, Israelis will shift into “survivor mode”, stocking up on essentials and making sure “their relatives and loved ones are well cared for”, he added.

Goldberg continued: “The sense of social solidarity is strong in rhetoric, but effectively Israelis don’t care now. They’ll do whatever the government tells them, they’ll support whatever the government presents them with.

“They’ll assume that absolute victory is just around the corner. Change can come, but if Gaza is any precedent, I doubt it’ll come any time soon.”

‘Explosions, smoke plumes’ in Tehran

I have heard sounds of explosions across the capital here. From time to time, we see the air defence system activated in the capital. We also see smoke rising in different parts of the city periodically, showing that attacks continue.

Targets are not limited to military or nuclear facilities. There have been reports of civilian places being hit by Israeli strikes. There have been so many civilian casualties.

Why Israel wants US bunker busters to hit Iran’s Fordow nuclear site

US President Donald Trump says he is still weighing his options regarding United States military intervention amid escalating hostilities between Israel and Iran.

Standing on the South Lawn of the White House on Wednesday, Trump said, “The next week is going to be big,” adding that Iranian officials are eager to negotiate. However, he warned them that “it’s very late to be talking” after they reached out to him.

Officials and experts have suggested that the US’s 30,000-pound (13,000kg) bunker buster bomb is the only weapon capable of destroying the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, a facility believed to be central to Tehran’s nuclear programme and carved deep into a mountain.

The United States is the only country to possess these bombs, which it delivers using B-2 bombers. If deployed against Iran, it would represent a major shift from primarily intercepting missiles on Israel’s behalf to conducting active offensive strikes against Iran.

IAEA says ‘no radiological effects’ after Arak reactor hit

In a post on X, the nuclear watchdog says it has information that Iran’s Khondab heavy water reactor – also known as the Arak reactor – “was hit”. However, because the site was “not operational and contained no nuclear material”, there are “no radiological effects”, the IAEA said.

The agency added that it has no information indicating the facility’s heavy water plant was struck.

It wasn't even in use...


The aftermath of the Israeli strike on Iranian state television building

_{The damaged headquarters of Iranian state television in Tehran}

Ben-Gvir: Anyone watching Al Jazeera should be reported to the police

Far-right Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir just gave a short statement to the media, which our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic and Al Jazeera Mubasher carried live a few minutes ago.

In it, he reiterated the government’s stance against allowing Al Jazeera to report from Israel, saying doing so would pose a “threat” to  national security. He also called for police action against those caught watching Al Jazeera in Israel.

In early May 2024, Israel banned Al Jazeera’s reporters, producers, camerapeople and other employees from the country. The Palestinian Authority followed suit in January, in effect banning Al Jazeera from the occupied West Bank.

Grand Ayatollah al-Sistani warns against going after Iranian leaders

Iraq’s top Shia leader Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has warned there will be “dire consequences on the region” if Iran’s “supreme religious and political leadership” are targeted.

Such action could cause “widespread chaos that would exacerbate the suffering of [the region’s] people and severely harm everyone’s interests”, said al-Sistani, who is the highest religious authority for millions of Shia Muslims in Iraq and around the world.

He called on the international community to “make every effort to end this unjust war and find a peaceful solution” to Iran’s nuclear programme.

Katz names ‘eliminating’ Iran’s supreme leader as war goal

Earlier, we brought you comments from Israel’s defence minister in the aftermath of Iran’s attack on Beersheba, which damaged the Soroka Medical Center. We now have more of his comments, in which he refers explicitly to killing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which we bring you unedited below:

“A man like [Khamenei] has always aimed at destroying Israel through his agents. This man, who is willing to attack us, must not stay alive. This matter, the matter of stopping this man, eliminating him, is part of the campaign, and we now understand his role because before, he was talking about the destruction of Israel.”

Israel has teased the prospect of regime change in Iran as part of its war goals since it began its assault last week.

After Israel launched its attacks on Iran on Friday, Netanyahu addressed Iranians in an English video, saying he hoped the military operation would “clear the path for you to achieve your freedom”.

On Tuesday, Trump, referring to Khamenei, said in a social media post: “We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now … Our patience is wearing thin.”

Netanyahu visits Soroka Medical Center, says Israel keeping ‘all options open’

Netanyahu has made a visit to Beersheba’s Soroka Medical Center, which suffered damage from an Iranian missile attack today, according to Israeli media reports. During the visit, Netanyahu said he would not exclude the possibility of targeting Iran’s supreme leader, The Times of Israel reported.

“No one is immune,” Netanyahu was quoted as saying. “All the options are open.”

“It’s best not to speak about this in the press,” he added.

Earlier, Israel’s defence minister explicitly said that taking out Khamenei was one of Israel’s war goals.

US intervention in Iran would be ‘terrible spiral of escalation’: Russia

Any intervention by the US in the Iran-Israel conflict would mark a “terrible spiral of escalation”, the Interfax news agency quotes Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying.


Turkiye preparing for potential combat readiness: Report

Turkiye has increased the security of its border with Iran as the Israel-Iran conflict continues, a Turkish Defence Ministry source tells Reuters news agency, adding that Ankara had not seen any irregular migration flow from Iran.

The source, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said Turkiye was continuing to develop a layered and integrated air and missile defence system, using domestically produced radar and weapon systems, adding that the aim was to keep its potential combat readiness at a high level.

The source also reportedly said Turkiye’s Quick Reaction Alert aircraft had taken off after Israel launched attacks on its southeastern neighbour Iran, adding that the aircraft continued to patrol borders amid the possibility of Israeli airspace violations.

Israel’s nuclear arsenal – the open secret giving it regional leverage

Israel’s nuclear arsenal remains one of the world’s worst kept secrets as the country maintains a policy of strategic ambiguity.

While Netanyahu has warned of alleged nuclear threats from other nations, Israel is widely believed to possess about 90 nuclear weapons with the capability to build hundreds more.

This undeclared nuclear programme has allowed Israel to leverage diplomatic power on the world stage without facing the same level of international scrutiny as other states.

Israel would not carry out attack without American support: Iranian official

Israel’s attack on Tehran occurred while Iran was holding talks at the request of the American president, “who claimed to be seeking peace”, says Ali Larijani, adviser to Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader.

“In the final stages of the negotiations, the United States was not seeking to resolve the issues, but rather was trying to impose specific demands on us,” Larijani said.

“[Israel] would not have carried out its aggression against us without an American decision, and we believe that Trump resorted to deception in this regard.”

The official added: “Despite the assassination of our military leaders by the Zionist entity, their replacements were appointed within less than 12 hours. Israel imagined that it would force Iran to retreat within a few days, but this did not happen.”

Iran’s FM defends strike that damaged Soroka hospital, vows to ‘pummel’ Israel


_{A view of the destruction at Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, Israel, on Thursday}

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has claimed a missile attack earlier today hit an Israeli military and intelligence centre located near Soroka hospital, causing only “superficial damage to a small section” of the health facility.

Araghchi also claimed that the facility was “largely evacuated” and has mainly been used “to treat Israeli soldiers” fighting in the Gaza war.

“Our powerful Armed Forces will continue to pummel the criminals who target our people until they cease and pay for their criminal aggression against our nation,” said Araghchi, urging Israeli civilians to avoid military sites.

Earlier, as we reported, Soroka hospital’s Director General Shlomi Kodesh said Iran’s missile attack hit an old surgical ward at the hospital, causing “widespread damage” there and throughout the complex and leaving some people with light injuries.

Photos of the aftermath of the attack show major wreckage in one part of the medical complex, with blown-out windows and debris scattered across nearby buildings.

With more than 1,000 beds, Soroka hospital is the largest in southern Israel and serves a region home to over one million residents. It says it treats at least 15,000 cancer patients each year.

Earlier today, our powerful Armed Forces accurately eliminated an Israeli Military Command, Control & Intelligence HQ and another vital target.

The blast wave caused superficial damage to a small section of the nearby, and largely evacuated, Soroka Military Hospital. The… pic.twitter.com/39tOeRtgYG

— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) June 19, 2025

At least 69 people killed in Gaza in last 24 hours: Ministry

At least 221 others were wounded in Israeli attacks in the last 24 hours, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

At least 55,706 Palestinians have been killed and another 130,101 wounded since the start of the war in October 2023, it added.

Netanyahu claims Israel ‘accurately hit’ nuclear, missile targets

The Israeli PM has posted a video of himself outside Beersheba’s Soroka Medical Center, which suffered damage from an Iranian missile attack today.

In it, he claims the Israeli military “accurately hit nuclear targets and missile targets, and they [Iran] hit a hospital, where people can’t even get up and run away”.

“That’s the whole difference in a democracy that acts according to the law to save itself from these murderers and against these murderers who want to destroy each and every one of us”.

Israel has regularly attacked hospitals in its war on Gaza, with officials in the besieged enclave stating that Israel has bombed and burned at least 36 hospitals across the Gaza Strip since the war began in October 2023.