Iranian missile strikes hit Israel's Beersheba for second day, amid crunch EU diplomatic talks in Geneva

Beersheba was struck by an Iranian ballistic missile on Friday morning, marking a second consecutive day in which Israel's air defences failed to prevent attacks on the southern Israeli city.

Seven people were wounded and homes were significantly damaged, Israeli media reported. 

A day earlier, an Iranian missile barrage damaged a hospital in Beersheba, prompting Israeli outrage over the alleged targeting of medical facilities. 

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi hit back at the Israeli accusations on Friday, saying that Tehran only targets military sites and economic centres in Israel with a nearby intelligence base said to be the target of the strike that damaged the hospital.

Elsewhere on Thursday, Arabic-language media claimed that Iranian missiles had struck the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, while Israeli media reports indicated that the attack struck the Ramat Gan Diamond Exchange District outside the city.

Israel maintains a strict military censor on information relating to attacks on the country and casualty figures, hampering verification of information about the impact of Iranian strikes.

The strikes on the financial centre came a day after Israel eased its emergency lockdown measures, which had drawn complaints from businesses.

In Iran, meanwhile, authorities have said that five hospitals were damaged by Israeli strikes since the start of the assault one week ago.

An Israeli army spokesman said that the army is continuing attacks on Iranian nuclear sites, underscoring Tel Aviv's stated aim of its attacks on Iran.

Speaking to The New Arab's Arabic-language sister site, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, on Friday, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi highlighted the illegality of strikes on civilian nuclear sites.

"Targeting nuclear facilities is a major crime and there is a European failure to condemn and prevent it," Gharibabadi said. "During talks with the European parties, we will pronounce warnings about their positions, silence and identification with the aggressor."

Gharibabadi also slammed the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Mariano Grossi, accusing him of working "for the benefit of Israel and America".

The minister said there is "no justification left for continued cooperation with the IAEA while Grossi avoided even condemning the targeting of Iran's nuclear facilities".

Ahead of talks with France, the UK, Germany and the EU in Geneva on Friday, Gharibabadi said that the Israeli attacks on Iran will be at the top of the agenda, emphasising Israel's role as the aggressor in the conflict.

"The second topic we are discussing in our meeting with the Europeans is the attacks on our nuclear facilities, as Iran is a member of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty... these attacks on our nuclear facilities must be condemned, especially by European countries that also possess nuclear facilities," Gharibabadi said.

The minister's remarks were echoed by Foreign Minister Araghchi, who said on Iranian state television on Friday that the talks will focus solely regional and nuclear issues.