Israel Deploys 40 Fighter Jets to Strike Iran's Arak Nuclear Facility
Iran Launches 30 Missiles at Israeli Hospital and Other Targets
Israel and Iran have been engaged in a back-and-forth conflict for seven consecutive days. On June 19 (local time), after Israel attacked nuclear facilities in Tehran and Arak, the Iranian capital and city respectively, Iran responded by launching missiles in retaliation.
On the morning of that day, the Israeli military announced that it had deployed 40 fighter jets to carry out airstrikes on Iran's Arak heavy water nuclear facility and other targets. Iranian state television also confirmed that the facility had been hit.
An Iranian official stated that all personnel at the Arak nuclear facility had been evacuated and that there was no leakage of radioactive material. Arak, located about 250 kilometers southwest of Tehran, is home to a heavy water-based plutonium production facility.
Prior to the airstrikes, the Israeli military warned residents in the area to evacuate. At around 4 a.m., the Israeli military announced on its official Telegram channel that "the Air Force is conducting attacks on Tehran and additional areas in Iran." However, it did not disclose specific details about the targets or methods of attack. Subsequently, on its Persian-language account on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), the Israeli military warned residents near the Arak heavy water reactor of impending strikes and urged them to evacuate.
The Israeli military also released a satellite image of the area surrounding the Arak heavy water facility, highlighting a red circle with a radius of about 2 kilometers around the site.
Iran responded by launching more than 30 ballistic missiles at Israel. According to Al Jazeera and other sources, the ballistic missiles fired by Iran struck four locations, including Soroka Hospital in Beersheba in southern Israel, injuring at least 30 people. The building of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange was also damaged in the airstrikes.
According to the Jerusalem Post, loud explosions were heard throughout Israel during the missile attacks, and several cities in central Israel also reported hearing the blasts.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on X, "Iranian terrorists launched missiles at Soroka Hospital in Beersheba and at civilians in central Iran," adding, "We will make the dictators in Tehran pay the price."
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