Iranian Missile Strike Devastates Israeli Research Institute

A premier research institute in Israel, known for its groundbreaking work in life sciences and physics, suffered heavy damage after an Iranian missile struck its campus early Sunday. The Weizmann Institute of Science, a renowned institution that has produced numerous Nobel laureates and Turing Award winners, saw multiple labs destroyed, setting back years of scientific research.

According to officials, two buildings were hit, including one housing life sciences labs and another under construction for chemistry studies. Dozens of other buildings on campus sustained damage. Professor Oren Schuldiner, whose lab was obliterated in the strike, described it as a "moral victory" for Iran, stating, “They managed to harm the crown jewel of science in Israel.”

The strike is seen as a retaliatory measure for Israel's repeated targeting of Iranian nuclear scientists and facilities in the escalating conflict between the two nations. Israel has previously targeted Iranian scientists in an effort to hinder Iran's nuclear program, while Iran has been accused of plotting to assassinate Israeli nuclear scientists.

Professor Sarel Fleishman, who visited the site, reported that several buildings were severely damaged, with some labs "literally decimated." The destroyed labs were focused on sensitive areas like tissue generation, developmental biology, and cancer research. Fleishman noted that years or even decades of research were destroyed, stating, “This was the life's work of many people.”

Schuldiner's lab, which studied the development of the human nervous system and provided insights into autism and schizophrenia, was completely destroyed. He estimated it would take years to rebuild and get the research back on track, saying, “All of our studies have stopped... It's very significant damage to the science that we can create and to the contribution we can make to the world.”

The Weizmann Institute, founded in 1934 and named after Israel's first president, ranks among the world's top research institutes. The campus has been closed since the strike, with media allowed to visit the site. The damage has sparked concerns about the targeting of scientific institutions and researchers in the conflict between Israel and Iran.

Yoel Guzansky, an Iran expert and senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies, noted that the Weizmann Institute has been in Iran's sights, possibly due to its ties to Israel's defense establishment and collaborations with industry leaders like Elbit Systems. Guzansky believes the strike symbolizes Iran's message: “You harm our scientists, so we are also harming (your) scientific cadre.”

The strike has sent a chilling message to Israeli scientists, putting them on notice that they and their expertise are now targets in the escalating conflict with Iran.