Why Iranian strike that damaged Israeli hospital could have big impact on the conflict
The drumbeat of war is sounding louder, with Israel using the attack on the medical centre to frame the argument for more intense attacks to come. The question is whether America will buy that argument enough to join the fight.
Thursday 19 June 2025 21:26, UK
As I approached Soroka Medical Centre in Beersheba, Israel, I could still see the smoke rising in the heart of the city after an Iranian missile strike.
At the gates, stunned-looking patients were still emerging. Among them, Jummah Abu Kush, who was inside the building when it was hit.
"Suddenly we heard an enormous explosion," he told me.
"We knew it was close. All sorts of things fell from the roof. The doctor was injured and others in the room were hit by the debris too.
"The building opposite was on fire. It was very dangerous, very worrying and very scary."
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Shai Nunu, a doctor at the hospital, said he felt a huge force after the warning sound rang out.
"The siren stopped and then we heard a huge explosion. We were thrown backwards from the blast," he said.
Around the back of the hospital, I saw the roof of one building had collapsed. In another, windows were blown out - bits of metal and plastic hanging precariously from rooms.
Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said they hit a military site nearby and the Soroka Medical Centre was not a direct target.
Despite the extent of the blast, there were only minor injuries reported. But the impact on this war could be great.
The Israeli leadership was quick to attend the site.
First came President Isaac Herzog, then Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir who declared, "We love Donald Trump", as he called for the annihilation of Iran.
The Israeli government is framing what happened at the medical centre as a "war crime", vowing Iran would "pay a heavy price" and saying they were in the "process of achieving a tremendous victory".
What that victory could look like is very uncertain and Iran shows no sign of backing down.
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Three days ago, Farabi Hospital in Kermanshah in Iran was also damaged by the shockwaves of a missile strike. The Israel Defence Forces claimed it wasn't a target.
Whether intentional or not, healthcare facilities are once again at the centre of the story.
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At least 24 people have been killed in Israel by Iranian strikes. The number of civilian fatalities remains far higher in Iran. More than 600 people have died so far across the nation, according to the Washington-based group Human Rights Activists.
But an internet blackout has made it very difficult to get images or information out of the country.
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The last 24 hours have felt like a sea change in rhetoric and potential action.
The drumbeat of war is sounding louder, with Israel using the attack on the medical centre to frame the argument for more intense attacks to come.
The question is whether America will buy that argument enough to join the fight.