Iran's FM debunks Israeli claims about direct hit on Soroka hospital
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Iranian FM Abbas Araghchi confirms that a missile strike by the IRGC targeted an Israeli military intelligence HQ, urging Israelis to leave areas near military sites.
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The impact site of an Iranian missile targeting a military facility in Tel Aviv, next to a map detailing the military facilities placed next to Soroka Medical Center, on June 19, 2025 (X/ @araghchi)
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed that an Iranian missile achieved a direct hit on an Israeli military command center located near the Soroka Hospital, which was damaged by the blast from the impact.
"Earlier today, our powerful Armed Forces accurately eliminated an Israeli Military Command, Control & Intelligence HQ and another vital target," Araghchi said in a Thursday post on X, noting that the blast wave from the missile damaged a "small section of the nearby and largely evacuated Soroka Military Hospital."
The Iranian FM highlighted that the facility is used to treat Israeli casualties from the war on Gaza, where "Israel" destroyed 94% of the hospitals.
"It is the Israeli regime and not Iran that initiated all this bloodshed, and it is Israeli war criminals and not Iranians who are targeting hospitals and civilians," Araghchi stated in his post, emphasizing that hundreds of Iranians were killed in the Israeli attacks on Iran over the past week.
"We call on Israelis to heed our evacuation orders before strikes and to avoid proximity to military and intelligence sites. Our powerful Armed Forces will continue to pummel the criminals who target our people until they cease and pay for their criminal aggression against our nation," Araghchi concluded.
IRGC hits military HQ in 'Israel'
Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) launched its 14th wave of strikes against strategic sites in "Israel" on June 19 as part of Operation True Promise 3, with Israeli media reporting the attack marked the heaviest Iranian missile barrage against "Israel" in recent days.
According to Iran's official IRNA news agency, the strikes focused on military and intelligence targets inside "Israel".
The agency stated that the primary target of the strikes was the command and intelligence headquarters of the Israeli occupation army, located within a critical facility near Soroka Medical Center in Beer al-Sabe', resulting in severe damage to multiple buildings and vehicles, along with dozens of casualties.
Al Mayadeen’s correspondent reported missile strikes near Beer al-Sabe’s Soroka Hospital, which treats Israeli soldiers wounded in Gaza, while Israeli media outlets claimed that the hospital had suffered a direct hit, though the full scope of damage remains unclear as assessments continue.
Israeli police enforce blackout on impact sites
On the morning of June 19, Israeli police interrupted live broadcasts from several international news organizations covering Iranian missile impact sites, as simultaneously released footage by The Times of Israel depicted an Israeli officer confronting a journalist and ordering the handover of his camera equipment.
Earlier this week, Israeli security forces raided the bureaus of international broadcast crews in response to their reporting on rocket impacts near Haifa, attacks that allegedly targeted classified defense installations.
An Israeli police spokesperson stated the action was taken "in accordance with directives from Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and under the supervision of Police Commissioner Dani Levy," following Ben-Gvir's earlier pledge to clamp down on international media organizations covering missile strike locations.
