Iranian missile hits Dimona near Israeli nuclear site: Report

Tel Aviv: A missile fired from Iran has evaded Israel’s air defence systems and struck the city of Dimona, near which Israel’s main nuclear facility and reactor are located, state-owned Kan TV reported.

Air raid sirens in the area sounded in the morning and early afternoon on Wednesday (local time), warning of incoming missile attacks, according to the Home Front Command. The Israeli military did not officially confirm whether the missile was intercepted.

The Magen David Adom ambulance service reported no injuries.

Kan reported that the missile struck Dimona, located about 13 km northwest of the nuclear site in the Negev Desert, without elaborating on whether there was damage, reports Xinhua news agency.

The Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Centre, often referred to as the “Dimona reactor,” is one of Israel’s most heavily guarded sites.

Iran has repeatedly targeted the area since Saturday, when a missile attack injured 64 people in Dimona. Tehran said the attack was in retaliation for an Israeli strike on the Natanz nuclear facility.

Earlier on March 24, a missile fired from Iran struck Tel Aviv, injuring several people and damaging buildings and vehicles, Israeli authorities said.

Loud explosions were heard across the city, with eyewitnesses reporting large plumes of smoke rising from both northern and southern parts of the country’s commercial hub.

Israel’s Army Radio, citing security officials, reported that it was apparently a cluster-type missile containing several bomblets, each weighing about 100 kg, with the bomblets or their fragments impacting several sites.

At an impact site in northern Tel Aviv, a missile struck between buildings, “causing a powerful blast wave that heavily damaged three buildings,” Miki David, commander of the Tel Aviv district in the Home Front Command, told reporters at the scene. He said shelters in the buildings remained intact, and those inside were unharmed.

Images shared on social media showed that the impact left a crater.

In a statement, the Israeli military said search and rescue teams were operating at “several sites” in central Israel after impacts were reported.

The Magen David Adom ambulance service said six people were lightly injured and did not require hospital treatment.

Air raid sirens were activated seven times across Israel overnight and into Tuesday morning amid continued missile fire from Iran. The last missile attack activated sirens in southern Israel, including in Dimona, where Israel’s nuclear facility is located.

The strike came as the regional conflict entered its 25th day, with tensions remaining high despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of ongoing negotiations, which Iran dismissed as “fake news.”

IANS