An Iranian ballistic missile reportedly struck the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot on Saturday night as part of its second retaliatory attack against the Jewish State, igniting a fire in at least one laboratory building at the prestigious research facility.

Emergency services responded quickly to contain the blaze at the institute, located south of Tel Aviv in central Israel. Hebrew media reports raised concerns that people may be trapped inside the damaged facility, though no casualties have been immediately confirmed.

However, Israeli media coverage of the incident has been notably restrained, with military censors preventing the disclosure of detailed damage assessments or images of sensitive facilities. The report comes from The New York Times, citing images shared from official sources.

The Weizmann Institute, founded in 1934 by future Israeli President Chaim Weizmann, stands as one of Israel’s most important scientific centers. Originally established as the Daniel Sieff Research Institute, it was renamed in 1949 to honor its founder.

Today the institute employs approximately 2,500 researchers and staff, offering advanced graduate programs in mathematics, physics, biology, chemistry and computer science across more than 30 scientific laboratories. The facility also houses extensive library and residential facilities on its Rehovot campus.

Beyond its academic mission, the institute has deep historical ties to Israel’s defense establishment. During the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, the facility officially joined the war effort alongside Hebrew University, providing military research and security services to support the newly established state.

One of the institute’s early researchers, Israel Dostrovsky, led military research units that conducted geological surveys in the Negev Desert. Those surveys discovered uranium deposits that later contributed to Israel’s nuclear program and the establishment of the Negev Nuclear Research Center.

The institute maintains connections to Israel’s defense industry through various research partnerships and has been associated with six Nobel laureates and three Turing Award winners throughout its history. In 2019, it ranked second globally for research quality according to the Nature Index.

Tehran launched the missile barrage in retaliation for Israeli strikes that targeted Iranian nuclear facilities, military installations and senior commanders. Approximately 200 ballistic missiles were fired by the regime over two consecutive nights, with 22 locations hit across Israel, killing 13 people and injuring at least 380 others.