Ayatollah’s ward war: Iran hits Israel hospital, residential areas as Donald Trump weighs move

Iranian missile strikes have ­wreaked carnage in Israel, pounding a hospital and residential areas, as Donald Trump prepares to enter the war in a bid to wipe out Iran’s nuclear facilities.

A woman is evacuated from the site of a direct hit from an Iranian missile strike in Ramat Gan in Israel. Picture: AP Photo

You can now listen to The Australian's articles. Give us your feedback.

You can now listen to The Australian's articles.

Iranian missile strikes have ­wreaked carnage in Israel, pounding a hospital and residential areas in a major escalation in Tehran’s retaliation against the Jewish state, as Donald Trump prepares to enter the war in a bid to wipe out Iran’s nuclear facilities.

The US President reportedly told senior aides he had approved the attack plan but was holding off giving the green light to allow ­Tehran a final chance to step back from the brink by abandoning its nuclear ambitions.

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Iran would “pay a heavy price” after the strikes on Beersheba’s Soroka Hospital and civilian areas across the country.

The hospital, which suffered “extensive damage”, had ordered just one day earlier the evacuation of a surgical building that absorbed the blast, potentially saving the lives of 25 urology and cancer ­patients who had been ­receiving treatment throughout the week.

The Magen David Adom ­emergency service reported at least 65 injuries, three of which were serious, but no fatalities from the assault on the hospital. Speaking outside Soroka ­Hospital hours after the attack, its director-­general, Shlomi Kadosh, said staff had been ­transferring 850 patients to safety since last ­Friday to “prepare for any eventuality”.

Missiles also landed in the Tel Aviv suburbs of Holon and Ramat Gan, causing extensive damage to city blocks and parts of the financial district.

Mr Trump was due to attend an intelligence briefing in the White House Situation Room at 1.30am AEST on Friday amid reports he had resolved to enter the war.

US strikes are expected to ­target Iran’s underground nuclear facilities with 13,000kg “bunker buster” bombs.

A baby is evacuated from the site of a direct hit from an Iranian missile strike in Ramat Gan. Picture: AP Photo

Mr Trump said US military ­action was on the table, declaring “I may do it, I may not do it”, and repeated his demands for Tehran’s unconditional surrender.

“The next week is going to be very big; maybe less than a week,” the President said.

He added he had issued the ­regime an “ultimate ultimatum”.

“We’re not looking for a ceasefire; we’re looking for a total and complete victory,” he said.

Mr Trump said Iran had been “weeks away” from getting a ­nuclear weapon, and could not be allowed to do so because “they’d use it”.

Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei earlier declared his country would not capitulate, warning that US military intervention would carry “irreparable” consequences. Iran’s mission to the UN ramped up the rhetoric, calling Mr Trump a “has-been warmonger” and declaring the country would not “grovel at the gates of the White House”.

“The only thing more despicable than his lies is his cowardly threat to ‘take out’ Iran’s supreme leader,” it said in a statement.

“Iran does not negotiate under duress, shall not accept peace under duress, and certainly not with a has-been warmonger ­clinging to relevance.”

Iran’s defiance came as ­Israel’s military said its missiles had hit Tehran’s heavy-water ­reactor under construction in Arak and a site used for the development of ­nuclear weapons in the city of ­Natanz.

It said 60 Israeli Air Force fighter jets also hit more than 20 military targets in Tehran, including weapons-­production sites, centrifuge-­production sites and research and development sites devoted to Iran’s nuclear weapons development project. “These sites were designated to allow the Iranian ­regime to ­expand the scale and pace of its uranium-enrichment purpose of developing nuclear weapons,” the IDF said.

The latest strikes targeted factories producing raw materials and components for missile assembly, as well as sites for the production of Iran’s air defence systems, the IDF said.

Israel’s ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon, said his country’s war on Iran was cutting off “the head of the snake”, in a move that would benefit the wider ­Middle East and the free world.

“We are very determined, and we are going to continue in order to accomplish all the objectives that were set by our government,” the ambassador said.

Multiple media outlets including The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg reported Mr Trump was poised to order strikes in what would be a massive step for the anti-war, “America First” President.

Iran’s underground uranium-enrichment facility at Fordow is shaping as the key target for US strikes, with Republican senator Lindsey Graham declaring in a ­social media post that the site “must be dealt with”, and that only the US could do so. “Go all in,” he said. “Finish the job.”

News website Axios said Mr Trump had asked military advisers whether the bunker busters, known officially as Massive Ordnance Penetrators, could destroy the Fordow facility, which is buried deep beneath a mountain. Pentagon officials reportedly said they believed the bombs, which are untested in combat, could do the job.

In a video address to Israelis, Mr Netanyahu thanked Mr Trump “for standing by our side and … for the support that the US is providing us in ­defending the skies of Israel”.

“We talk continuously, including last night; we had a very warm conversation,” he said.

The UN Security Council is due to convene in New York on Friday to discuss the ongoing war.

By late Thursday AEST, Israel’s week-long strikes on Iran had killed at least 639 people and wounded 1329 others, human rights groups said. The death toll in Israel stood at 24, with nearly 600 people injured.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said about 1500 Australians and family members in Iran had sought government help to flee the country, while 1200 had registered for evacuation from Israel.

She said the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade had already evacuated a small number of Australians from Israel by land.

“Obviously, the situation … is fluid,” Senator Wong said. “Iran is a very complicated situation, a very risky situation. I think we all know that. Our travel advice remains the same and it is if you are able to leave safely, you should do so. If not, shelter in place.”

Smoke billows from Soroka Hospital in Beersheba in southern Israel following an Iranian missile attack. Picture: AFP

The US said its embassy in Israel was evacuating staff and family members who wanted to leave the country on flights and cruise ships.

As the US moved air and naval assets to the Middle East, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told the Senate armed services committee the Pentagon was providing options to Mr Trump as he considered his next steps. He said “maximum force protection” was being provided for US troops in the Middle East, amid fears Iran could retaliate by attacking American bases in the region.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Iran – one of his country’s few allies – had not sought military help from Moscow.

Additional reporting: agencies