About 200 Injured In Iranian Missile Strikes Near Nuclear Facility In Israel (pics & video)

The Israeli Ministry of Health says at least 180 people have been wounded in Iranian missile attacks on the southern city of Dimona – home to the country’s main nuclear facility – and nearby Arad, in one of the most dramatic escalations since the US-Israel war on Iran began.

Iranian state television framed Saturday’s strikes as a “response” to an attack on Iran’s Natanz nuclear enrichment complex earlier in the day, marking a stark new phase of tit-for-tat targeting in the conflict, now in its fourth week.

At least 116 people were wounded in Arad, including seven seriously, according to Israel’s Health Ministry, with extensive damage reported in the city centre.

Another 64 were wounded in Dimona, with one in serious condition, the ministry said, with multiple shrapnel wounds, after several residential buildings were destroyed.

Reports said the wounded included a 10-year-old boy.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it a “difficult” evening for Israel, and promised to continue attacking Iran, where US-Israeli attacks since February 28 have killed more than 1,500 people, including at least 200 children, according to Iranian state media.

An Israeli military spokesman said air defence systems were activated during the attacks, but failed to intercept some of the missiles, even though they were not “special or unfamiliar”.

“In both Dimona and Arad, interceptors were launched that failed to hit the threats, resulting in two direct hits by ballistic missiles with warheads weighing hundreds of kilograms,” firefighters said.