Iranian Strikes Target Towns Near Israeli Nuclear Facility, Wounding Dozens
Dimona, Israel – Iranian missiles struck towns in southern Israel late Saturday, wounding nearly 100 people, including two children in serious condition, in what officials are calling a retaliatory attack. The strikes targeted Dimona, home to Israel’s main nuclear research center, and the nearby city of Arad.
The attacks mark a significant escalation in the ongoing tit-for-tat conflict between Israel and Iran. Footage circulating on social media showed a ballistic missile exploding over Dimona. While Israel’s Iron Dome defense system attempted interception, Israeli firefighters reported that two missiles struck directly, carrying warheads weighing hundreds of kilograms.
Emergency services are treating a large number of casualties, including a five-year-old girl and a ten-year-old boy injured by shrapnel.
“In both Dimona and Arad, interceptors were launched that failed to hit the threats,” Israeli firefighters said.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed no damage to the Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center and detected no abnormal radiation levels. However, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi urged “maximum military restraint” in the vicinity of nuclear facilities.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated the country had experienced “a difficult evening” and vowed to continue striking “our enemies on all fronts.”
Iran stated the strikes were in response to recent attacks on its own nuclear site at Natanz. The Iranian response follows threats made by Yemen’s Houthis, allies of Iran, who posted a video online threatening attacks against the United States.
Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf, speaker of Iran’s Parliament, claimed the attack on Dimona demonstrated “Israeli skies are defenceless.”
Israel maintains a decades-old policy of ambiguity regarding its nuclear arsenal, neither confirming nor denying its existence. Dimona has been central to Israel’s nuclear program since the opening of its research center there in 1958.
Israel is a member of the IAEA but does not allow inspections of its nuclear sites, as it has not signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
