Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned Iran’s “terrorist tyrants” for Thursday morning’s ballistic missile attack, which wounded dozens and caused significant damage across the country.
“Iran’s terrorist tyrants launched missiles at Soroka Hospital in Beersheba and at a civilian population in the center of the country,” Netanyahu wrote on X.
“We will exact the full price from the tyrants in Tehran,” he added.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog emphasized on Thursday that the deliberate targeting of civilians by the Iranian regime underscored the nature of the conflict.
“A baby in intensive care. A mother by their bedside. A doctor rushing between beds. An elderly resident in a nursing home. These were some of the targets of Iran’s missile attacks on Israeli civilians this morning,” said Herzog.
The Israeli president noted that Soroka Hospital is one of Israel’s leading medical centers, serving the entire Negev region. He emphasized that the hospital provides care to all—Israelis of all faiths as well as Palestinians who travel there for treatment.
“Its devoted staff—Jews and Arabs—work side by side in extraordinary harmony, united by the mission to heal,” said the president.
“I send strength and support to the medical teams, to the patients, and to the residents of Beersheva and all cities attacked across Israel this morning. In moments like these, we are reminded of what’s truly at stake, and the values we are defending,” he added.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz condemned Iran’s actions, saying the “cowardly Iranian dictator” hides deep inside a fortified bunker while ordering deliberate attacks on hospitals and residential buildings in Israel.
“These are among the most serious war crimes,” said Katz. “Khamenei will be held accountable for his actions.”
He added that he and Netanyahu had instructed the Israel Defense Forces to intensify strikes on strategic sites in Iran, including government targets in Tehran, with the aim of eliminating threats to Israel and weakening the ayatollahs’ regime.
“The Iranian regime deliberately targets civilians,” stressed Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar. “The Iranian regime is committing war crimes. The Iranian regime has no red lines,” he added.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid posted on X that the Islamic Republic was “trying to kill innocent civilians.”
“Show the world the truth about the Iranian regime,” he added.
Benny Gantz, head of the opposition National Unity Party, stated that there was no “moral equivalence” between Israel’s actions against Iran and the Islamic Republic’s targeting of civilian sites in Israel.
“While Israel targets Iran’s nuclear and missile programs that threaten not only us but the whole world—Iran targets Israeli hospitals and children,” wrote Gantz.
“While Israel targets with precision military & IRGC personnel—Iran targets Israeli civilians,” he continued. “There is no moral equivalence, and Israel will not waver in eliminating the capabilities of those who gleefully declare ‘Death to Israel, Death to America.'”
Former defense minister and current Yisrael Beitenu head Avigdor Liberman said the strike highlighted the potential damage Iran could do if it had a nuclear weapon.
“We must continue until the nuclear program is completely eliminated, the Iranian regime is overthrown, and the missile stockpile is destroyed,” he posted on X.
Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, labeled the strike “a grave violation of international law by Iran.”
“I call on the United Nations to immediately condemn this Iranian act of terror. We will not allow a terrorist regime to threaten the citizens of Israel. The Iranian regime will pay a heavy price for its unrestrained aggression,” wrote Danon.