JERUSALEM/TEHRAN/WASHINGTON — Tensions escalated sharply in the Middle East on Thursday as Israel launched airstrikes on key Iranian nuclear facilities, while Iran retaliated with missile attacks, including one that damaged a hospital in southern Israel.
Israeli forces targeted multiple sites, including the Khondab nuclear reactor near Arak and a site in Natanz described by Israeli military sources as housing components essential for nuclear weapons development. These attacks, part of what Israel has described as its largest-ever military campaign against Iran, have already crippled portions of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and eliminated top Iranian military officials.
Iran confirmed strikes near nuclear facilities but said the areas had been evacuated, and no casualties or radiation risks were reported. Tehran denounced the Israeli assault as a “renewed violation of international law” and reiterated its longstanding claim that its nuclear programme is solely for peaceful purposes.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue the offensive until Iran’s nuclear programme is dismantled. “Tehran’s tyrants will pay the full price,” he declared. Defence Minister Israel Katz echoed the message, instructing the military to intensify attacks and claiming the operations were aimed at destabilising the “Ayatollah regime”.
Iranian Retaliation Hits Israeli Civilian Sites
In a rare direct missile strike from Iranian soil, several projectiles hit populated areas in Israel, including the Soroka Medical Centre in Beersheba. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard claimed it was targeting Israeli military and intelligence outposts near the hospital.
Israeli emergency services reported five people in critical condition and dozens more injured across three sites. Buildings in Tel Aviv and nearby Ramat Gan sustained extensive damage, with residents trapped in a collapsed building in south Tel Aviv. Missile trails and explosions were visible over the Israeli commercial hub, sparking panic in densely populated areas.
“This is very scary,” said Yaniv, a Tel Aviv resident who lives near one of the impact sites. “The blast shook my apartment tower.”
Global Reaction and Uncertainty
As the conflict intensifies, global leaders have expressed concern over the potential for a broader regional war. Oil prices spiked sharply amid fears of disruptions in the Middle East.
U.S. President Donald Trump, whose administration has not yet formally joined the Israeli military campaign, declined to say whether American forces would participate. Speaking outside the White House, Trump said, “I may do it. I may not do it. Nobody knows what I’m going to do.”
He added that Iranian officials had signaled interest in talks but said, “It’s a little late.”
Meanwhile, nuclear negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, previously scheduled for last Sunday, have been canceled. European powers are attempting to mediate: the foreign ministers of Germany, France, and Britain are set to meet Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in Geneva on Friday.
Trump’s rhetoric has veered between calls for diplomacy and threats of decisive military action, including a recent suggestion to target Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei.
A Broader War?
The ongoing clashes mark a significant shift from years of proxy warfare into direct conflict between Israel and Iran, raising the spectre of full-scale war. Israel is already engaged on multiple fronts against Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Yemen’s Houthis, with support from Iran.
The war, which began after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, now threatens to engulf the entire region and draw in global powers.
Despite the high-stakes nature of the conflict, calls for de-escalation have so far gone unheeded, and both sides remain entrenched in their positions — with no sign of immediate resolution.
