Iranian missiles injure 160 in towns near Israeli nuclear site
More than 160 people were injured – some seriously – in Iranian missile strikes on two southern Israeli towns close to a nuclear facility, Israeli emergency officials said.
They say 84 people are being treated in Arad and 78 others in Dimona, after ballistic missiles hit the towns on Saturday evening.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says it is not aware of any damage to the nuclear research facility located about 13 kilometers from Dimona.
Iranian state television earlier said the strikes were a response to an attack on Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility on Saturday. The IAEA says “no increase in off-site radiation levels” has been reported there.
Large Iranian missile destroys buildings in Arad, southern Israel [Reuters]
Iranian ballistic missiles ripped through Israel’s sophisticated air defenses on Saturday evening, hitting buildings in Israel’s two southern cities.
In Arad, residents said the explosions they heard were terrifying. The missile severely damaged several buildings, leaving a deep crater.
“This is a very serious scene,” emergency medical technician Yakir Talkar said in a statement describing Arad, adding that there were “many injuries with varying degrees.”
The nearby town of Dimona suffered a similar missile strike.
Among the many injured was a 10-year-old boy. Doctors describe his condition as serious.
Israeli authorities are currently investigating how Iranian missiles managed to pass through air defense systems.
“In both Dimona and Arad, interceptors were launched but failed to hit the threats, resulting in two direct hits from ballistic missiles with warheads weighing hundreds of kilograms,” Israeli firefighters said.
The Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center – located in the Negev Desert – is often colloquially referred to as the “Dimona Reactor”. It has long been believed to hold Israel’s undeclared arsenal of nuclear weapons.
Officially, the site is supposed to focus only on research, but for around six decades the fact that Israel developed a nuclear bomb there has been an open secret, even though each successive government has maintained an ambiguous position on the matter.
This means that Israel is the only nuclear power in the Middle East. Thus, any indication that he is being targeted is taken with the utmost seriousness by Israel.
A satellite image of the Shimon Peres Negev nuclear research facility, taken in 2020 [Maxar]
Israel and the United States have made eliminating any possible Iranian capability to develop a nuclear bomb the primary goal of the war.
The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran called the Natanz attack a violation of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, while asserting that “no leaks of radioactive materials” had been reported and that there was “no danger to residents in the surrounding areas.”
Natanz was also targeted in the early days of the war, which began on February 28, by US-Israeli strikes, as well as during the 12 Day War in June.
When asked about Natanz on Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told Israeli and international media that it was not aware of a strike in the area.
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