IDF rejects Iran's claims about Soroka hospital being used for military purposes

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has firmly denied claims circulated by Iranian media that Israel was using Soroka Medical Center in Be’er Sheva for military purposes, after the hospital was struck by an Iranian ballistic missile on the morning of June 19.

In a statement issued in Persian and addressed to the Iranian public, the IDF called the allegations “lies,” Caliber.Az reports via Iranian media.

"The claim of an attack on an intelligence base or the presence of military equipment under the hospital is another lie. We are not so despicable as to endanger civilians. Attacking hospitals is a crime. Fabricating a reason does not justify it,” the post on X said. 

❗️ برای توجیه حمله به مرکز درمانی سوروکا، رژیم تروریستی ایران نقشه‌ای منتشر کرده که از اساس جعلی، ساخته‌ی هوش مصنوعی، و پر از غلط است.

در این «نقشه»:
🔸 کلمه‌ی Blvd حتی به‌درستی نوشته نشده
🔸 نام Gav Yam Technologies Park به‌طرز خنده‌داری تحریف شده
🔸 و بقیه چیزها هم کلاً تخیلی… pic.twitter.com/7r10cZKY5m

— ارتش دفاعی اسرائیل | IDF Farsi (@IDFFarsi) June 19, 2025

Several people were wounded and extensive damage was caused when the missile hit Soroka Hospital, one of southern Israel’s largest medical centers.

According to the statement issued by the IDF, to justify its strike on the hospital, Iran has published a map “ that is fundamentally fake, created by artificial intelligence, and full of errors.”

“In this ‘map’: The word Blvd isn't even spelled correctly. The name Gav Yam Technologies Park is hilariously distorted. And the rest is all fiction… Also, the claim of an attack on an intelligence base or the presence of military equipment under the hospital is another lie,” IDF stated.

Earlier, IRNA news agency released a report, stating that the attack was aimed at an Israel Defence Forces (IDF) “command and intelligence (IDF C4i) headquarters” and an army intelligence camp in the Gav-Yam Technology Park.

“The hospital was only exposed to the blast wave and did not suffer serious damage, but military infrastructure was a precise and direct target,” the report added.

By Sabina Mammadli