Iranian missiles injure 180 in towns near Israeli nuclear site
Israel’s health ministry reported that 180 people sustained injuries from Iranian missile strikes which targeted two southern towns located near a nuclear facility.
The authorities reported that 116 people sustained injuries in Arad while 64 people sustained injuries in Dimona after ballistic missiles impacted the towns on Saturday evening.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported that it has not found any evidence of damage at the nuclear research facility which is situated 13 kilometers from Dimona.
Earlier Iranian state television reported that the strikes occurred as revenge for the earlier attack on Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility which happened on the same day.
Emergency services confirmed that at least seven people suffered injuries during an Iranian missile attack which targeted Tel Aviv on Sunday.
The Israeli Air Force reports that 400 missiles were fired from Tehran towards Israel following the US-Israeli attack on Iran on February 28. The military reported that Israeli defense systems achieved a success rate of 92 percent for missile interception.
Residents in Arad described the explosions on Saturday as extremely frightening. The missile caused severe damage to several buildings and created a large crater at the impact site.
Naram Zaid, a paramedic in the area, told BBC News that she treated many injured children who suffered head and chest wounds after falling debris struck them during their confinement in the ruined structure.
“I attempted to provide comfort to a 10-year-old girl who sustained a head injury and had blood on her face from shattered glass.”
“She refused to get into the ambulance because her parents were still trapped inside. We waited until they were evacuated from the destroyed apartment building, and then took them all to the hospital.”
The blast destroyed the outer walls of two residential apartment blocks.
In the Negev desert, men dressed in dark clothing gathered to silently observe the destruction that occurred in the Ultra-Orthodox town.
A missile attack struck Dimona which is located close to the target area.
The 10-year-old boy who suffered injuries from the incident received serious medical attention according to medics.
Israeli firefighters confirmed that both Dimona and Arad used interceptor systems which failed to intercept incoming threats resulting in two ballistic missile strikes that carried warheads weighing hundreds of kilograms.
Ahmadiel Ben Yehuda who lives just a short walk from the impact site in Dimona said he was heading down the steps to a bomb shelter when the missile struck.
He said that every house in their neighborhood experienced damage which included collapsed ceilings and shattered windows that affected his own home.
Ben Yehuda visited the strike location and described the scene as completely devastated. He added that he personally knows several residents whose apartments were entirely destroyed.
He expressed shock because it is difficult to understand how much force one missile can create against concrete because the resulting destruction reaches an overwhelming level.
Both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog went to the affected areas on Sunday.
The current situation in Iran shows that the country can still inflict major damage on Israel which causes severe human suffering throughout the ongoing conflict.
The authorities have started crucial investigations to find out how the missiles succeeded in breaching Israel’s air defense network.
The Israeli population learned about the system’s limitations during the conflict which lasted 12 days in the previous summer.
The public will become even more determined to resist these attacks which will have the opposite effect of what terrorists want to achieve.
The conflict between Israel and the United States centers on their shared goal to eliminate Iranian nuclear weapon production capabilities.
The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran condemned the attack on Natanz because it violated the Non-Proliferation Treaty. The organization confirmed that no radioactive materials had escaped the site while local residents faced no danger from the incident.
US-Israeli attacks on Natanz during the conflict which started on February 28 had already targeted the site before it faced attacks during the 12-day war which occurred last June.
The Israel Defense Forces told local and international media that they had no knowledge of any attack in that area when asked about Natanz on Saturday.