Iranian missiles struck two communities in southern Israel late Saturday, injuring dozens and causing building damage in attacks that targeted areas not far from Israel’s main nuclear research centre.
Iranian Missile Strikes Hit Southern Israel
The strikes came after an earlier incident in which Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facility at Natanz was hit. Israel has denied responsibility for the Natanz strike, which occurred nearly 220km (135 miles) southeast of Tehran.
The Pentagon declined to comment on the Natanz strike, which has been targeted previously during prior conflicts, including one in the first week of the war and another 12-day war last June. Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Maria Zakharova warned that such strikes pose a “real risk of catastrophic disaster throughout the Middle East”.
Israel’s military reported it was unable to intercept the missiles that hit the southern cities of Dimona and Arad, located in the sparsely populated Negev desert. This marked the first time Iranian missiles had penetrated Israel’s air defence systems in the area surrounding the nuclear site.
At least 180 people were wounded in the missile attacks on Dimona and nearby Arad, according to the Israeli Ministry of Health.
Dimona is approximately 20km (12 miles) west of the nuclear research centre, while Arad is around 35km (22 miles) to the north.
Israel is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons, though its leaders neither confirm nor deny this. The UN nuclear watchdog stated on X (formerly Twitter) that it had not received reports of damage to the Israeli centre or abnormal radiation levels.
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