Israeli emergency services reported that 88 people were transported to hospitals after a missile struck the city of Arad in southern Israel. Among them were 10 in serious condition and 19 with moderate injuries. The strike also caused damage to nine residential buildings.
Emergency services said they are still dealing with a “major incident,” continuing to search for missing persons and those trapped under the rubble, while providing medical care to the injured.
Israel’s public broadcaster reported that air defense systems attempted to intercept the missile, but it directly hit a residential area in the city, resulting in dozens of casualties.
Iran’s parliament speaker was quoted as saying that “Israeli airspace has become exposed and unprotected, and the time has come to implement pre-prepared plans,” adding that the failure to intercept missiles in heavily fortified Dimona indicates the conflict has entered a new phase.
An Israeli military spokesperson stated that air defense systems were activated but failed to intercept the missile targeting Arad, noting that the missile used was “not exceptional or different from conventional missiles.”
Escalation of the Conflict
As the intensity of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran increases, the Israeli military confirmed on Saturday that the city of Dimona—home to a nuclear facility in southern Israel—was struck by an Iranian missile. Emergency services reported that more than 30 people were injured in that attack.
In Tehran, Iranian state television said the strike came in “response” to an earlier attack on the Natanz nuclear facility in central Iran, carried out as part of the war launched by the United States and Israel on February 28.
The military told AFP that there was a “direct missile strike on a building” in the city, after footage circulated on social media showing an explosive object rapidly descending from the sky and causing a massive fireball upon impact.
Dimona, located in the Negev Desert, houses a key nuclear facility. Israel maintains a policy of ambiguity regarding its nuclear program, officially stating that the Dimona reactor is for research purposes. It neither confirms nor denies possessing nuclear weapons, though according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Israel is believed to have around 90 nuclear warheads, making it the only nuclear power in the Middle East.
Additionally, 14 people were treated for shock.
Earlier, emergency services had reported that their teams treated 39 individuals at sites affected by the missile impact. The organization also released footage showing flames engulfing a building in the city.
A paramedic described the scene as involving “extensive damage and widespread chaos.”
The Israeli military said that “interception attempts were carried out” after the missile launch was detected.
Footage broadcast by Israeli media and circulated on social platforms showed an explosive object falling rapidly from the sky and creating a massive fireball upon impact.
Israeli police released images showing officers inside a building with a large hole in one of its walls.
Iranian television stated that the missile strike on Dimona was in “response” to the earlier bombing of the Natanz nuclear facility.
The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran reported that the United States and Israel carried out a strike Saturday morning on the Natanz uranium enrichment facility, according to Iran’s Tasnim News Agency.
