Iranian missile wounds five in Beersheva

An Iranian ballistic missile struck the southern Israeli city of Beersheva early Friday morning, lightly wounding five people, according to emergency medical services.

The missile impacted just outside a cluster of apartment buildings, causing significant damage to nearby homes.

The attack follows a missile barrage the previous day that wounded hundreds of Israelis, including at Beersheva’s Soroka Medical Center and residential areas in Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan and Holon.

“Iran’s terrorist tyrants launched missiles at Soroka Hospital in Beersheba and at a civilian population in the center of the country,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote on X on Thursday.

“We will exact the full price from the tyrants in Tehran,” he said.

Meanwhile, Israeli air defenses intercepted four Iranian drones overnight Thursday, including one targeting the Haifa area. The Israeli Air Force downed the remaining three UAVs in the Dead Sea area.

Since the launch of “Operation Rising Lion” on June 13, the IAF and the Israeli Navy have intercepted hundreds of Iranian drones fired toward the Jewish state. The military reports that more than 95% of threats approaching Israeli airspace have been successfully neutralized.

Observation units within the IAF and Navy are working in close coordination with the IAF’s aerial defense systems and aircraft, the Navy’s missile boats and other security personnel to ensure the protection of Israel’s skies, the military added.

Alongside ongoing offensive operations aimed at degrading the Iranian regime’s military and nuclear capabilities, the IDF is actively intercepting surface-to-surface missiles and UAVs that have targeted population centers with the intent to kill Israeli civilians.

IDF Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin emphasized on Thursday the military’s ongoing efforts to intercept threats from multiple fronts.

“Our defensive systems—in the air, at sea and on land—are operating around the clock to intercept threats. This is not only to counter the missile threat; since the beginning of the operation, we have successfully intercepted over 480 UAVs launched toward Israeli territory,” Defrin said.

“We are constantly assessing the situation on the home front,” he continued. “Our policy is to do everything we can to strike a balance between the top priority of saving lives and the need to maintain and ease daily life as much as possible.”

Defrin noted that the IDF is acting on seven fronts, prepared for both defense and offense. “Even this weekend, IDF soldiers and commanders will continue operating across all arenas to maintain safety and achieve the goals of this war,” he said.

“As a society that cherishes life, we stand strong together,” Defrin said.

© JNS