Diplomacy in Geneva, Iran bombs hospital in Israel

Diplomacy and military confrontation are taking place in parallel, as Iran and Israel approach a point of no return. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced that a delegation from Tehran will meet today in Geneva with representatives of France, Germany and Great Britain, with the talks to be led by the head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, according to information presented by Al Jazeera, as well as by the Israeli media.

While diplomats were preparing the talks yesterday, Israeli forces on the ground declared that they were one step away from destroying half of Iran's ballistic missile launchers, with Brigadier General Effie Defrin stating that "hundreds" of them have already been neutralized. Military experts point out that, once the threshold of 50-70% of the launch capacity is exceeded, even the approximately 1,500 missiles remaining in Iran could only be launched in salvos of 10-30 projectiles at most, easing Israeli missile defenses, according to the Jerusalem Post.

The escalation took on a dramatic dimension yesterday morning, when an Iranian missile hit the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, causing significant damage and injuring dozens of people. Israeli Health Minister Uriel Busso, quoted by The Times of Israel, denounced the attack as a "terrorist act” deliberately directed against a hospital that treats women, children and helpless people. From the perspective of the authorities in Tehran, the target was a nearby military command center, as stated by the Iranian military spokesman, Iman Tajik.

According to Tel Aviv media, in the courtyard of the hospital that was hit, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised that Israel would "make Iran's nuclear program and ballistic missile arsenal disappear,” describing the ongoing operation as "historic” and aimed at changing the face of the Middle East. He reaffirmed the close relationship with the United States, acknowledging the support offered by the Trump administration, but stated that the responsibility for the decision to intervene militarily against Iran belongs to the White House.

The tone became even harsher when Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz called Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei a "dictator” who "cannot be allowed to continue to exist,” stating that one of the goals of the Israeli campaign is precisely to prevent the extension of his rule. The statements were made, according to Israeli media, in Holon, a city near Tel Aviv that was also hit by Iranian missiles.

Internationally, Moscow has warned Washington that any military intervention by Israel would have "unforeseen consequences,” as Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova put it. According to Al Jazeera, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin called on "all parties,” especially Israel, to cease hostilities as soon as possible to prevent the war from escalating.

Tehran has responded with strong warnings. The Guardian Council has warned on Iranian state television that the "criminal US government” and its "stupid president” will face a "severe response” if they intervene militarily.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has questioned his advisers about the effectiveness of "bunker buster” bombs against Iran's nuclear infrastructure, according to Fox News. A US official told the source that anti-bunker systems are just one of the options being considered by Trump and that he has not yet decided to intervene in the Israeli-Iranian conflict. The official noted that "all options” remain on the table.

Domestically, Iranian police announced the arrest of 24 people accused of spying for Israel and attempting to "tarnish the image” of the Islamic Republic.