Jerusalem/Tehran, June 20: Israel bombed key nuclear sites across Iran on Thursday, while an Iranian missile strike severely damaged a major hospital in southern Israel overnight, as the escalating air war between the two rivals entered its second week with mounting civilian casualties and no diplomatic resolution in sight.
In one of the most dramatic turns so far, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Tehran’s leadership would “pay the full price” for its aggression, warning that the strikes could ultimately result in the collapse of Iran’s ruling establishment. “We will do whatever is necessary to remove the existential threat posed by Tehran,” he said.
Defence Minister Israel Katz confirmed that Israeli forces had been directed to intensify airstrikes specifically targeting strategic and nuclear-related infrastructure in and around Tehran. “Our mission is to dismantle the threats and destabilise the Ayatollah regime,” he declared.
Israeli officials claimed to have struck the Natanz and Isfahan nuclear facilities and, earlier in the week, a reactor under construction near Arak. Initial military reports mistakenly included Bushehr—the site of Iran’s only operational nuclear power plant—but that claim was later withdrawn. The UN’s nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, confirmed that the Khondab facility near Arak had been hit but said the reactor did not contain radioactive material at the time.
The Iranian response was swift and devastating. A missile believed to have been fired by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards slammed into Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, damaging several wards and injuring at least 40 people, mostly patients and staff. “We’re trying to minimize the number of people here. At the moment, we don’t know if parts of the hospital may collapse,” said Shlomi Kodesh, the hospital’s director general.
Iran claimed it was targeting Israeli military and intelligence headquarters near the hospital, but the Israeli military denied the presence of any such assets in the area. “This was a deliberate attack on civilians,” a spokesperson said.
Civilians on both sides are increasingly bearing the brunt of the hostilities. Iranian missile strikes over the past week have breached Israeli air defences in what officials call an unprecedented escalation in the decades-long shadow war. In Ramat Gan, a missile hit a residential complex, prompting widespread panic. “It’s very scary,” said Yaniv, 34, who lives nearby. “The explosion shook our whole tower.”
In Iran, thousands of residents have fled Tehran after Israeli evacuation advisories and direct strikes in residential areas. One of the strikes hit a shopping complex in Shahrak-e Gharb, a western suburb of the capital. “I saw at least three dead children and two women,” said Arash, 33, a government employee. “Is this how Netanyahu plans to ‘liberate’ Iranians?”
The Iranian government has halted casualty updates and blacked out media coverage of the destruction, including banning residents from filming or sharing footage. Internet access across the country has been nearly shut down.
Among those displaced is 11-year-old Samira, who now lives with her grandparents in Urmia after fleeing Tehran with her family. “I’m afraid Israel will hit our home and my mom will die,” she said, her voice trembling over the phone. “I just want to go home.”
While Israel continues to claim significant success, including the killing of senior Iranian military figures and heavy damage to nuclear capabilities, the regional toll is growing. Iran’s regional allies—Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthis in Yemen—have also suffered Israeli strikes over the past week.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump has left the international community guessing. After initially suggesting diplomatic efforts, he has veered towards open threats, musing about killing Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and demanding Tehran’s surrender. “Nobody knows what I’ll do,” Trump said Wednesday.
With the situation spiraling and no international mediation visibly underway, the week-long conflict continues to push the region toward a broader war—one whose costs are increasingly falling on civilians caught in the crossfire.
