BEERSHEBA, Israel (BN24) — An Iranian ballistic missile obliterated an Israeli childcare center in the southern city of Beersheba on Friday, as Israel launched a fresh wave of airstrikes on Iranian military infrastructure, intensifying a week-old conflict that shows no sign of de-escalation.
Disturbing surveillance footage captured the moment a cluster missile fired from Iran struck the Colel Chabad Daycare Center just after closing time. The building suffered major structural damage, but no children or staff were present at the time, Israeli officials confirmed.
“The building sustained significant damage. Miraculously, no children or staff were present — the attack occurred just after closing time,” the daycare center said in a statement.
The strike was one of approximately 20 missile attacks launched by Iran early Friday, according to an Israeli military official. Air raid sirens sounded across multiple cities, including Tel Aviv, Haifa, and areas of the Negev Desert, prompting widespread panic as citizens took shelter.
In Haifa, a coastal port city in northern Israel, at least 19 people were wounded in a separate missile attack, hospital officials said. Magen David Adom, Israel’s emergency medical service, reported that a 16-year-old boy sustained critical injuries from shrapnel and a 54-year-old man was moderately wounded.
Iranian state-affiliated Fars news agency claimed that long-range and ultra-heavy missiles targeted Israeli military infrastructure, including defense installations, command hubs, and weapons development sites. A military spokesman said the attacks were retaliation for Israel’s ongoing offensive.
In response, Israel launched sweeping retaliatory airstrikes inside Iran on Friday. More than 60 Israeli aircraft struck strategic military and industrial locations, including missile factories and weapons storage facilities in Kermanshah and Tabriz. Israeli officials said the operation focused on neutralizing Iran’s launch capabilities and supply chains.
Among the targets was a five-story building in Tehran that housed a bakery and hair salon. At least five civilians were injured in that strike, Iranian media reported.
The Israeli military also confirmed it had bombed the headquarters of Iran’s Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research, a site that the United States has previously linked to suspected nuclear weapons development efforts.
“A week has passed since the operation began,” Israeli military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin told reporters. “We are strengthening air control in the region and expanding our offensive. We have more sites to strike in Tehran, western Iran, and beyond.”
Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant echoed that determination, instructing the IDF to intensify operations designed to destabilize the Islamic regime in Tehran. “We must strike all symbols of the regime and its mechanisms of oppression, such as the Basij and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” Gallant said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the bombed Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot on Friday, a facility recently targeted in an earlier Iranian strike. Speaking to reporters, he expressed confidence in U.S. support and said he believed President Donald Trump would act decisively.
“I can tell you that they’re already helping a lot,” Netanyahu said. “I trust President Trump will do what’s best for America.”
On Thursday, Trump said he would make a final decision within two weeks on whether to directly strike Iranian targets, even as he continued to leave the door open for possible nuclear negotiations.
As the tit-for-tat escalation intensifies, analysts warn the conflict between the regional powers may be nearing a point of no return, with the potential to further destabilize the Middle East.
