An Iranian missile struck the Israeli town of Dimona, home to a nuclear facility, on Saturday, escalating tensions following an earlier attack on Iran’s Natanz nuclear complex. Iranian state media reported the strike as retaliation for the Natanz incident, while Israeli authorities confirmed a direct missile hit on a building in Dimona.
The Dimona facility is widely believed to be Israel’s primary nuclear weapons research and production site, though Israel maintains a policy of nuclear ambiguity. According to the Israeli army, interception attempts were made following the detection of the incoming missiles. First responders from Magen David Adom reported treating 33 people injured at multiple locations, including a 10-year-old boy with serious shrapnel wounds, according to paramedic Karmel Cohen, who described “extensive damage and chaos at the scene.”
Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization previously accused the United States and Israel of orchestrating the attack on the Natanz enrichment complex, stating that there was “no leakage of radioactive materials reported.” The Natanz facility, which houses underground centrifuges for uranium enrichment, was also damaged in a previous incident last June. The Israeli military stated it was “not aware of a strike” on Natanz.
In a separate action on Saturday, the Israeli military announced it had struck a facility within a Tehran university “utilised by the Iranian terror regime’s military industries and ballistic missiles array to develop nuclear weapon components and weapons.”
The escalating conflict extends beyond direct strikes. The United Arab Emirates reported facing aerial attacks, following a warning from Iran against allowing attacks originating from its territory targeting disputed islands near the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has effectively restricted passage through the vital waterway, which handles approximately a fifth of the world’s crude oil trade.
The United States has responded with military action, with US Central Command head Admiral Brad Cooper stating that US warplanes deployed 5,000-pound bombs on an underground facility on Iran’s coast storing anti-ship cruise missiles and related equipment. Cooper claimed this action has “degraded” Iran’s ability to threaten the Strait of Hormuz, adding that intelligence support sites and missile radar relays used to monitor ship movements were also destroyed.
Leaders from several European nations – the UK, France, Italy, and Germany – along with South Korea, Australia, the UAE, and Bahrain, issued a joint statement condemning the “de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iranian forces” and expressed their willingness to contribute to efforts ensuring safe passage through the strait.
Reports indicate Iran launched an “unsuccessful” ballistic-missile attack on the US-UK military base on Diego Garcia, an island in the Indian Ocean. A UK official stated this was the longest-range Iranian strike to date. Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir indicated Iran utilized a “two-stage intercontinental ballistic missile with a range of 4,000 kilometers,” suggesting the missiles are capable of reaching European capitals.
The UK government has authorized the United States to use its bases in Diego Garcia and Fairford, England, for launching strikes against Iranian sites targeting the Strait of Hormuz. This decision was made prior to the attempted missile strike on Diego Garcia, according to a UK official.
