Weizmann Institute rebuilds after Iranian missile strike, but lost science may be gone for good
Most buildings damaged in the June 2025 attack have been repaired, but destroyed research and data cannot be recovered.
Nine months after Iranian missiles struck the Weizmann Institute of Science in June 2025, the campus in Rehovot is steadily being rebuilt. Most of the damaged buildings have been repaired. But the deeper losses, destroyed laboratories, costly equipment, and years of accumulated research, cannot be rebuilt.
A total of 77 buildings were damaged at Weizmann Institute, with losses estimated at 2 billion shekels (approximately $635 million). Laboratories housing sophisticated equipment were among those hit, and with them, a significant portion of accumulated research knowledge, work that cannot simply be reconstructed.
Physically, however, progress has been relatively swift. Of the damaged structures, 72 have already been restored, and five more are undergoing repairs expected to be completed within two years. One building, Ullmann, remains only partially rebuilt. The institute’s campus is gradually returning to operation, even as the intellectual losses remain permanent.
The surrounding city continues its own recovery. In total, 135 buildings across Rehovot were damaged, 52 deemed unsafe and nine demolished. Most have been repaired, but 22 additional buildings are now being advanced through a zoning plan designed to make reconstruction economically viable. If implemented without delays, about 26 families are expected to receive new homes within five to six years.
