The Israeli economic newspaper Calcalist reportedon Thursday that initial estimates by the Weizmann Institute of Science put thedamage caused by a missile strike last Sunday at around 2 billion shekels(approximately $574 million).
According to the report, three research buildings sustaineddirect hits, while several other structures were also affected.
The estimate covers only physical damage to the institute’sinfrastructure and does not include the substantial losses to scientificresearch caused by the destruction of rare samples and materials. These wereeither developed at the institute or were being used as the basis for advancedstudies, the newspaper noted.
A senior official told Calcalist, “The cost ofconstructing an empty laboratory building could reach 50 million dollars, andwith advanced equipment, the total cost could rise to 100 million dollars.”
