Iran missile strikes wound over 100 in two southern Israel towns

Iranian missile strikes on the southern Israeli towns of Arad and Dimona wounded more than 100 people on Saturday, medics said, after Israeli air defence systems failed to intercept the incoming projectiles.

The two direct hits ripped open residential buildings and left large craters at the impact sites. First responders reported that 75 people were injured in Arad, including 10 in serious condition, while 33 others were wounded earlier in Dimona.

Iranian state television described the strike on Dimona — home to a sensitive nuclear facility — as retaliation for an earlier attack on Iran’s nuclear site at Natanz.

Footage from Arad showed rescue workers combing through rubble in a heavily damaged building, as fire engines and emergency crews flooded the scene. Firefighters said interceptors were launched in both locations but failed to stop the ballistic missiles, which carried warheads weighing hundreds of kilograms.

The Israeli military acknowledged the failure and said an investigation would follow. “The air defence systems operated but did not intercept the missile; we will investigate the incident and learn from it,” military spokesperson Effie Defrin said.

Authorities reported extensive damage in Arad, with at least three buildings hit and a fire breaking out in one. Emergency service Magen David Adom said it evacuated dozens of injured people to hospitals, describing chaotic scenes at the site.

Similar devastation was reported in Dimona, about 25 km away, where a large crater, shattered buildings, and twisted debris marked the strike zone. Among the injured was a 10-year-old boy with serious shrapnel wounds.

Dimona hosts a facility widely believed to be central to Israel’s undeclared nuclear programme, though the country maintains a long-standing policy of ambiguity.

The strikes are part of an ongoing escalation, with Iran launching repeated missile barrages in response to US-Israeli attacks that began on February 28. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said operations against Iran and its allies would continue, calling it a “very difficult evening.”