Iran struck the Israeli towns of Dimona and Arad on Saturday night, in what is being described as a retaliatory response to attacks on its Natanz nuclear facility.
Iran launched a missile attack on two Israeli cities, Dimona and Arad, the site of a nuclear facility. More than 100 people were injured in the incident. This move by Tehran is being described as retaliation for attacks carried out on its nuclear site in Natanz on Saturday.
Reports suggest that, in a retaliatory strike, Iran targeted the Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center in Dimona.
The news agency AFP reported that two direct strikes shattered the facades of residential buildings and left craters in the ground.
Citing firefighters, AFP stated that interceptors were launched in both Dimona and Arad but “failed to hit the threats, resulting in two direct strikes by ballistic missiles carrying warheads weighing hundreds of kilograms.”
First responders from Magen David Adom—Israel’s national emergency medical, disaster, ambulance, and blood bank service—reported that 84 people were injured in Arad, 10 of whom are in critical condition, while 33 people were injured in Dimona.
Paramedic Carmel Cohen said, “There was extensive damage and chaos at the scene.”
A video of the missile attack on Israel shows a fireball descending from the sky.
“The air defense system functioned but did not intercept the missile.”
Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Brigadier General Effie Defrin wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter), “Tonight, my heart is with the people of Arad and Dimona.”
He added, “The Home Front Command’s emergency forces, along with other rescue and emergency units, are currently on the ground conducting rescue operations. From here, I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured” and advised the public to follow the Home Front Command’s directives, as “they save lives.”
Sharing updates on the attack, Defrin stated that the air defense system had functioned but failed to intercept the missile. The IDF pledged to investigate the incident.
He noted, “This does not involve any specific or unusual type of weapon.”
Reuters photographs from Arad show residential buildings damaged in the Iranian missile attack, as well as Israeli soldiers inspecting and assessing the damage.
Attack on Iran’s Natanz Nuclear Facility
Iran’s state-run news agency, Mizan, reported that following an airstrike on the Natanz nuclear enrichment facility on Saturday, there have been no reports of any radiation leakage from the site.
According to satellite imagery, Natanz—Iran’s primary enrichment site—was targeted during the very first week of the war, resulting in damage to several buildings. The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog had stated that “no radiological consequences” were expected from that initial strike.
Located approximately 220 kilometers (135 miles) southeast of Tehran, this nuclear facility was targeted by Israeli and U.S. airstrikes during the 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel in June 2025.