JERUSALEM -- Missiles fired from Iran struck a hospital and residential buildings in Israel on Thursday, wounding more than 30 people, according to Israeli health authorities and local media.

Israel's Channel 12 News reported that around 30 missiles were launched, with four penetrating air defences and hitting targets in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area and the southern city of Beer Sheva.

In Tel Aviv and its suburbs of Holon and Ramat Gan, two people were critically wounded and four others seriously injured. Dozens of buildings sustained heavy damage, the broadcaster said.

In Beer Sheva, a missile struck the surgery building at Soroka Medical Center, causing significant damage. The hospital said nearby buildings were also affected, but its operations remained intact. The Israeli Health Ministry said initial concerns over a possible hazardous materials leak from a nearby laboratory had been dismissed.

The ministry added that patients and staff had been evacuated from the surgery wing several hours before the strike as a precaution.

Iran claimed the medical center was being used for military purposes, an allegation Israel has denied.

Following the attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to make Iran pay a "full price".

The latest exchange of fire marks a sharp escalation in hostilities that erupted after Israeli airstrikes on Iran on June 13. According to official figures, nearly 600 people have been killed in Iran and 24 in Israel since fighting began.

On Wednesday, Iran's military chief of staff, Abdolrahim Mousavi, said Tehran's retaliatory strikes had served as a deterrent but warned that "punitive operations will be carried out soon". He urged residents of Tel Aviv and Haifa to evacuate "to save their lives".