Israel minister says Iran leader ‘can no longer exist’ after hospital hit 

Beersheba, Israel – June 19, 2025 – Israel’s Defense Minister, Israel Katz, today issued a stark warning that Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, “can no longer be allowed to exist,” following an Iranian missile strike that severely damaged Soroka Hospital in Beersheba. This incident has significantly escalated tensions in the week-old conflict.

As U.S. President Donald Trump hinted at potential American involvement, Soroka Hospital in the southern city of Beersheba was engulfed in flames after a bombardment that Iran claimed targeted a military and intelligence base.

Israel initiated its unprecedented bombing campaign against its arch-enemy last week, citing fears that Iran is on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon. The ensuing conflict has now resulted in over 200 fatalities on both sides.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Iran would “pay a heavy price” for the hospital strike, while Defense Minister Israel Katz directed his strong warning directly at Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. “Khamenei openly declares that he wants Israel destroyed — he personally gives the order to fire on hospitals,” Katz told reporters. “He considers the destruction of the state of Israel to be a goal. Such a man can no longer be allowed to exist.”

Hospital director Shlomi Codish reported that 40 people were injured at Soroka, where an evacuated surgical building was directly hit, leaving thick smoke billowing. “Several wards were completely demolished and there is extensive damage across the entire hospital with damage to buildings, structures, windows, ceilings across the medical centre,” he informed journalists at the site.

This latest escalation marks the seventh day of deadly exchanges between the two nations, plunging the region into a fresh crisis, 19 months after the commencement of the Gaza war.

Mohammad Hassan, a Pakistani student at the University of Tehran who has since returned to Pakistan, recounted terrifying scenes in Iran’s capital during the Israeli strikes. “Those days and nights were very horrifying… hearing sirens, the wailing, the danger of being hit by missiles,” he told AFP. He added, “As one peeped out the window in the night, you could see drones, missiles with fire tails.”