Photo: Israel Defense Forces (IDF)
More than one hundred people were injured.
Iran launched missile strikes on southern Israel on Saturday evening, hitting areas near a key nuclear research center. Dozens of people were injured in the attacks, including children, according to Israeli and international media.
The cities of Dimona and Arad came under fire. It is near Dimona that Israel’s nuclear reactor is located — one of the most secretive facilities in the country. This is the first time since the beginning of the war that strikes have been carried out so close to Israel’s nuclear infrastructure. Iran stated that it targeted “military and security objectives,” however, the strikes hit residential areas.
In Arad, a direct hit on a residential neighborhood was recorded, damaging many buildings. In Dimona, a missile struck the southern part of the city, causing a building to collapse.
Israeli military officials said that air defense systems failed to intercept the missiles. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) promised to investigate the causes and draw conclusions. Media reports indicate that the missile that struck Arad was a “Khorramshahr-4” type, with a warhead weighing up to one ton.
According to emergency services, more than 100 people were injured, 11 of them in serious condition. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the evening as “very difficult in the struggle for the country’s future” and stated readiness to continue retaliatory strikes.
Earlier, Iran reportedly used long-range ballistic missiles for the first time, expanding the geography of the conflict. Two missiles with a range of up to 4,000 km were launched toward the joint US–UK base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.
This marks the first time in this war that Iran has used such weapons, effectively extending the conflict beyond the Middle East.
