Israeli scientists mourn loss of decades of research from destroyed Weizmann Institute

Israeli scientists at Israel's prominent Weizmann Institute of Science, which was completely destroyed by a barrage of Iranian missiles on Sunday, have spoken of the loss of decades of scientific work.

The famous research institute, which was located in Rehovot city in central Israel, was struck on Sunday at dawn with the explosion causing fires to spread rapidly, engulfing a number of the institute's laboratories.

Photos published later revealed the scale of the destruction, showing charred walls, shattered windows, exposed electrical wiring, and accumulated water from firefighting efforts.

Israeli newspaper The Marker reported on Monday that the institute was believed to have been targeted due to it symbolising Israel's scientific and technological prowess.

The institute offers master's degree courses and PhD programmes in a variety of scientific subjects; however, its strategic value lies in its cutting-edge military R&D, and it has served for decades as a key node in Israel's national security apparatus.

Over the years, it has made contributions to the development of Israeli drone technology, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and signal intelligence, and it collaborates with the Israeli army and leading defence firms, such as drone manufacturer Elbit.

Professor Eldad Tzahor, a researcher in the institute's molecular biology department, who had lived at the institute for 22 years, told The Marker that his laboratory, which had studied heart diseases, had been destroyed.

"We had a collection of thousands of heart samples from animals and humans, and nothing remains," Tzahor said.

He explained that the loss didn't just concern equipment which could be replaced, but a research archive which was irretrievable.

"When you publish a scientific paper, you need microscopic images and raw data, and now that is now longer possible. Everything is gone."

A laboratory where AI-based personalised medicine was being researched was also hit in the attack. Professor Eran Segal, a researcher in the computer science department, said equipment worth millions of dollars had been exposed to water and damaged, and no one yet knew if it would be salvageable.

This included research that had been ongoing for 20 years, which was being carried out by a team of 50 researchers.

The day after the attack, he says his team was transporting valuable biological samples from minus-80-degree freezers, navigating shattered glass and exposed electrical wires in an attempt to save what they could.

Professor Oren Schuldiner, who has worked at the institute for 16 years, said it was as though the laboratory had "vanished into thin air. We had a unique collection of DNA and stem cells, and strains of flies genetically engineered to demonstrate things that are of interest to us. All of that has disappeared. We're talking about years of work, the work of students. It's heartbreaking".

He said the extensive damage to the institute was a "huge blow to our ability to advance science, produce knowledge, and make discoveries, whether in cancer, other diseases, or basic science".

He added: "Is all this worthwhile? Not out of fear of the Iranians, but out of fear for the country. Can the country have a future that is not filled with hatred, as has been the case for the past three years?"

This is an edited translation from our Arabic edition.