The missile strike caused widespread panic and triggered emergency response efforts. Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel’s national emergency service, said its teams were searching buildings for possible casualties.

Fires broke out in the southern Israeli city of Beer Sheva on Friday after an Iranian missile landed near a technology park that houses a Microsoft office, emergency officials confirmed.

The missile strike caused widespread panic and triggered emergency response efforts. Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel’s national emergency service, said its teams were searching buildings for possible casualties.

A video released by MDA showed flames and smoke rising from a street in the city, CNN reports.

The Soroka Medical Center, which has over 1,000 beds and serves nearly one million residents, was previously damaged in an attack by Iran.

A hospital spokesperson stated, “We are currently assessing the damage, including injuries. We ask the public not to come to the hospital at this time.”

MDA reported that at least 40 people were wounded in the incident.

Israel Police confirmed that munitions fell in open areas of the Southern District, noting that while there was property damage, there were no immediate reports of fatalities.

Beer Sheva, located in the Negev desert, is also near the Nevatim airbase, a strategic Israeli military site.

The missile strike came as part of escalating hostilities between Israel and Iran, which have been exchanging missile fire since Israel launched a ballistic attack on Iran on 12 June.

Israel’s military said it intercepted the incoming missile, though fragments still caused damage on the ground. Meanwhile, hospitals across Israel have begun implementing emergency procedures, moving patients underground and converting parking areas into makeshift wards to cope with further possible attacks.