Weizmann scientists mourn research lost in Iran attack on institute

After a sleepless night, Prof. Eldad Tzahor arrived at the Weizmann Institute of Science on Sunday morning to see the aftermath of a devastating missile strike. His lab—dedicated to heart biology—had been completely destroyed by an Iranian ballistic missile that hit the Rehovot campus overnight.

The missile obliterated two buildings: a life sciences facility and another under construction. Around 45 laboratories were severely damaged or destroyed in total. Fortunately, there were no casualties.Founded in 1934 by Israel’s first president, Chaim Weizmann, the Institute is a globally respected hub for natural and exact sciences. Officials believe the Iranian attack was retaliation for Israel’s operations targeting Iranian nuclear scientists.

A senior academic, speaking anonymously, estimated it would cost $50 million to rebuild even an empty lab structure—and another $50 million to fully equip it.

The loss is both financial and scientific: years of critical research, including irreplaceable biological samples, have been wiped out, leaving a deep impact on the global scientific community.