TEL AVIV, DUBAI, WASHINGTON. Iran launched missile and drone strikes against Israel on Thursday after reportedly hitting an Israeli hospital overnight, as the week-long conflict between the two nations intensified. In response, Israel carried out new attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities, with no signs of de-escalation from either side.
Amid the growing crisis, the White House announced that U.S. President Donald Trump will decide within two weeks whether the United States will support Israel militarily. However, sources note that Trump has frequently used “two weeks” as a vague timeframe in the past. Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, has reportedly held several phone calls with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, also known as Abbas Araqchi, in recent days.
The Israeli military said the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba was damaged in the Iranian strike, prompting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to vow that Tehran would “pay the full price.”
“Are we targeting the downfall of the regime? That may be a result, but it’s up to the Iranian people to rise for their freedom,” Netanyahu said.
Brigadier General Effie Defrin, spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces, accused Iran of deliberately targeting civilians using a missile that scattered smaller bombs over a wide area — the first reported use of cluster munitions in the conflict. “That is state-sponsored terror and a blatant violation of international law,” he said.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed they had aimed at Israeli military and intelligence facilities near the hospital, an assertion denied by the Israeli military, which said there were no such targets in the area.
In a separate strike, Israel targeted the special forces headquarters of Iran’s internal security apparatus in Tehran. Defense Minister Israel Katz said the military was under orders to intensify strikes on strategic sites to eliminate threats and destabilize the regime of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
As night fell on Thursday, Iranian media reported air defense systems engaging “hostile targets” over northern Tehran. Satellite imagery published by London-based researchers showed visible damage to Iran’s partially built Arak heavy-water reactor, also known as Khondab, and its surrounding infrastructure.
Former U.N. nuclear inspector David Albright said the attack on Arak was likely driven by concerns over Iran’s plan to begin operating the reactor next year. “The Iranians play all these different games so Israel took it out,” he explained.
Israeli airstrikes have reportedly decimated much of Iran’s military leadership and killed hundreds, while Iranian retaliatory strikes have killed at least two dozen civilians in Israel.
The Revolutionary Guards said Thursday’s attacks targeted military and industrial sites in Tel Aviv and Haifa tied to Israel’s defense sector. Iran is also reportedly considering closing the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil route, as part of its response to what officials describe as the biggest security challenge since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Israel, equipped with the region’s most powerful military, has been engaged in simultaneous conflicts on several fronts since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack that triggered the war in Gaza. It has since bombed Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthi movement in Yemen.
Inside Iran, the full extent of the damage remains unclear. The government has halted public death toll updates and restricted access to imagery from affected areas. The internet remains largely shut down, and citizens have been barred from filming the destruction.
In Tehran’s Shahrak-e Gharb district, one local resident described the devastating aftermath. “I saw at least three dead children and two women in that building. Is this how Netanyahu plans to ‘liberate’ Iranians? Stay away from our country,” said Arash, a 33-year-old government employee, in a phone interview with Reuters.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
