At least 88 wounded in fresh Iranian strike hours after missile hits city near Israeli nuclear facility
Benjamin Netanyahu said it had been a “very difficult evening” for Israel
At least 88 people have been wounded after an Iranian missile struck Arad on Saturday, hours after Iranian ballistic missile evaded Israeli air defences and hit the city of Dimona – close to Israel’s main nuclear site.
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Ten people have been left in serious condition, including a five-year-old girl, according to emergency services.
The local fire service added there was “extensive damage”, with three buildings affected and a blaze engulfing one of them.
Benjamin Netanyahu said it had been a “very difficult evening” for Israel, adding that Tel Aviv was “determined to continue” striking their enemies “on all fronts”.
The attack on Arad came after an Iranian ballistic missile evaded Israeli air defences on Saturday and hit the desert city of Dimona, close to the country’s main nuclear facility.
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Following the strikes, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagheri Ghalibaf said on X: “It appears that the time has come to implement the next pre-planned strategies.
"If Israel is unable to intercept missiles in the heavily protected Dimona area, it is, operationally, a sign of entering a new phase of the conflict. Israel’s skies are defenceless."
The strike follows an attack in the nearby city of Dimona hours earlier, where at least 47 people were wounded.
Firefighters said that 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”.
The Israeli military said it would investigate the issue related to the air defence system.
Seyed Majid Moosavi, the IRGC’s aerospace force commander, also warned on Saturday that the regime had new “launch systems” that would leave the United States and Israel “dumbfounded”.
His comments came after Iran used intermediate-range ballistic missiles for the first time to fire at Diego Garcia, leading to speculation that Tehran has greater strike range capabilities than previously thought.
In recent months, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Aragchi claimed that the nation's missiles could only strike 1,250 miles (2,000 kilometres).