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Write about: Middle East crisis live: Iran hits Israeli town housing nuclear facility in retaliation for Natanz strike | US-Israel war on Iran
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Iran has claimed it attacked Dimona “after the US and Israel attacked the Bushehr power plant and the Natanz facilities.”
The Iranian Tasnim news agency wrote: “The enemy has once again received an unforgettable lesson. The missile attack on the Dimona area has once again sent a clear message: No area is safe from Iranian missiles. The enemy must surrender before it is too late.”
The Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center, commonly known as the Dimona nuclear reactor, is a nuclear installation located in the Negev Desert in southern Israel, approximately 13 kilometers (8 miles) southeast of the city of Dimona.
Key events
Morgan Ofori
The foreign secretary has condemned Iran’s strikes on a joint US-UK military base on the island of Diego Garcia, while stressing the UK has “taken a different position from the US and Israel” on the conflict.
Yvette Cooper said ministers wanted to see a swift resolution to the war, adding the government was supporting defensive action against the “reckless Iranian threats”.
Iran fired the missiles after warning that British lives were “in danger” after the prime minister authorised the US to carry out further strikes from British bases.
Tehran fired two intermediate-range ballistic missiles at the Chagos island but neither hit, the Iranian news agency Mehr reported.
Read more:
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement on social media responding to the Iranian strikes that tore through southern Israel on Saturday, leaving around 100 people wounded across Dimona and Arad.
“This is a very difficult evening in the campaign for our future. Just a short while ago, I spoke with the Mayor of Arad, Yair Maayan, and asked him to convey, on behalf of all Israeli citizens, our prayers for the peace of the injured,” Netanyahu wrote.
He continued: “I have instructed the Director General of my office to provide all the necessary assistance together with all government ministries. I strengthen the emergency and rescue forces operating in the field right now, and I call on everyone to heed the instructions of the Home Front Command.”
“We are determined to continue to strike our enemies on all fronts.”
Lorenzo Tondo
The Israeli Air Force has opened an investigation into its failure to intercept a ballistic missile that struck the southern city of Arad shortly before.
The missile is believed to have carried a conventional warhead containing hundreds of kilograms of explosives. It left dozens injured and caused widespread damage across the area.
Israel’s Home Front Command has also launched a parallel inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the impact.
Both the Air Force and Home Front Command are examining an earlier strike in the nearby city of Dimona, where dozens more people were reported injured.
Among the injured, seven are said to be in serious condition and 15 in moderate condition, while 42 others sustained minor injuries. Emergency teams are continuing to search the scene for additional casualties.
The Defense Ministry of the United Arab Emirates said it intercepted three ballistic missile and eight drone attacks on Saturday.
According to a statement posted on social media, the “UAE air defences have engaged 341 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles and 1,748 UAVs,” since the escalation began.
Officials also reported casualties and injuries involving multiple nationalities, while reaffirming that the UAE remains fully prepared to counter any further threats and protect its sovereignty and security.
“A total of 160 people were also injured, with injuries ranging from minor to moderate and severe,” it said. “The Ministry of Defence affirmed that it remains fully prepared and ready to deal with any threats, and will firmly confront any attempts to undermine State security in a manner that ensures the protection of its sovereignty, security and stability, and safeguards its national interests and capabilities.”
Lorenzo Tondo
Iranian barrages tore through southern Israel on Saturday, leaving around 100 people wounded across Dimona and Arad, among them a 5- and 12-year-old boy. The strikes inflicted extensive damage on multiple buildings, the force of the blast suggesting a conventional warhead packed with hundreds of kilograms of explosives.
In Arad, medics reported that a 5-year-old girl remained in serious condition following the impact of a ballistic missile. Emergency services from Magen David Adom said they were treating roughly dozens of people with injuries ranging from light to severe, after the strike damaged several residential structures. Footage circulating on social media appeared to capture the moment of impact, the explosion rippling through the city’s skyline
“It is an event of enormous magnitude,” said the organisation’s chief executive, describing scenes of chaos and uncertainty. “There are individuals we have lost contact with, and we fear for their safety.”
Israeli broadcaster Channel 13 reported early indications of multiple fatalities, though confirmation remained unclear. Unverified accounts suggested that one building had collapsed with people trapped inside, while another was engulfed in flames, raising fears that the toll could rise further as rescue efforts continue.
Lorenzo Tondo
At least five people are reported to have been killed and over 70 injured in the southern Israeli city of Arad following Iran’s latest ballistic missile attack.
Some reports suggest a building collapsed with people in and another is on fire.
Nine buildings are believed to have been damaged with concerns over a high number of missing and trapped people.
A large casualty incident has been declared with rescue forces and fire brigades dispatched.
An Israeli military commander said he has approved new plans “to continue the fighting” with Iran.
Chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said: “We are midway along the path, but the direction is clear.”
Zamir said the “extensive” attacks Israel has carried out with the US have weakened Iran, adding: “No containment any longer! But initiative! And attack!”
Saudi Arabia has ordered Iran’s military attache and four other embassy staff to leave the kingdom within 24 hours after declaring them persona non grata, the Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement, citing what it described as continued Iranian attacks against Saudi territory.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said on Saturday it was aware of reports that a projectile had struck the city of Dimona in Israel but had received no indication of damage to the Negev nuclear research center.
The agency said regional authorities reported no abnormal radiation levels following the incident and that it was closely monitoring the situation and would continue to seek further information, Reuters reports.
The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) countries said on Saturday they stood ready to take necessary measures to support global energy supplies and reaffirmed the importance of safeguarding maritime routes, including in the strait of Hormuz.
“We … express support to our partners in the region in the face of the unjustifiable attacks by the Islamic Republic of Iran and its proxies,” the ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US, as well as the top EU diplomat, said in a statement.
“We condemn in the strongest terms the regime’s reckless attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, including energy infrastructure,” they said.
Thousands gathered on Saturday in central London for a Stop the War demonstration to protest against the war in Iran. Here are some photos of the protests:
Iran has claimed it attacked Dimona “after the US and Israel attacked the Bushehr power plant and the Natanz facilities.”
The Iranian Tasnim news agency wrote: “The enemy has once again received an unforgettable lesson. The missile attack on the Dimona area has once again sent a clear message: No area is safe from Iranian missiles. The enemy must surrender before it is too late.”
The Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center, commonly known as the Dimona nuclear reactor, is a nuclear installation located in the Negev Desert in southern Israel, approximately 13 kilometers (8 miles) southeast of the city of Dimona.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters this week that he believes the military operation in Iran is “all but done.”
“I do think the original mission is virtually accomplished now,” Johnson said, speaking at the Capitol. “We were trying to take out the ballistic missiles, and their means of production, and neuter the navy, and those objectives have been met.”
Johnson acknowledged that Iran’s ability to threaten ships in the strait of Hormuz is “dragging it out a little bit,” especially as the US allies have mostly ignored Trump’s requests for help, but he added: “As soon as we bring some calm to the situation, I think it’s all but done.”
The Lebanese Health Ministry said Saturday that three deaths were reported over the past 24 hours, and 99 people were wounded, raising the total number of injured individuals to 2,740.
The latest Israel-Hezbollah war began on March 2, when the Iran-backed militia fired rockets into northern Israel two days after the US and Israeli attacks on Iran triggered a widening war in the Middle East.
Israel has since ordered evacuations from large parts of southern and eastern Lebanon as well as Beirut’s southern suburbs, and more than 1 million people have been displaced.
Hooman Majd
When Israeli and American missiles first started falling on Tehran, and as news of the death of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, leaked out, Nasser, a sixtysomething Iranian American dad from Boston who regularly travels to Iran, briefly experienced something akin to optimism. He “felt a flash of hope”, he told me, “or maybe vengeance, when Khamenei and his circle were hit”.
It was a common sentiment among the millions of Iranians in the North American diaspora who have, for multiple reasons, come to reject the rule of the velayat-e-faqih, or the “guardianship of the Islamic jurist”, the Islamic Republic’s governing doctrine. Many Iranians inside and outside the country had just recently held Khamenei directly responsible for the horrific bloodshed during the mass protests in January. If the top leadership of the Islamic republic was decapitated, perhaps, many believed, Iran could forge a different future.
But now, after three weeks of all-out war on his homeland and with thousands of dead Iranians, damage to cultural heritage sites, and seeming randomness of missile attacks in cities, that hope has disappeared. “Now,” he tells me, “I feel sick about it.”
Read more:
A Patriot air defence system was involved in the interception of an Iranian drone over a residential area of Bahrain on March 9, Bahrain’s government said on Saturday according to Reuters. The incident was characterized by the US military as a direct Iranian drone strike.
At the time, Bahrain said 32 civilians had been injured, including children who required medical treatment, and the US military said an Iranian drone had struck a residential neighborhood.
On Saturday, a government spokesperson said the Kingdom had been subjected to multiple Iranian drone attacks that day, and that the interception over the Sitra district had prevented a drone strike and saved lives.
“During this incident, the Patriot air defense system intercepted an Iranian drone aerially,” they said. “Had the Iranian drone impacted the residential area, it would have resulted in significant loss of life.”
US Central Command at the time denied reports from Russian and Iranian media that a US Patriot missile had failed to intercept an Iranian missile or drone and instead inadvertently struck a residential area.
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Iran has claimed it attacked Dimona “after the US and Israel attacked the Bushehr power plant and the Natanz facilities.”
The Iranian Tasnim news agency wrote: “The enemy has once again received an unforgettable lesson. The missile attack on the Dimona area has once again sent a clear message: No area is safe from Iranian missiles. The enemy must surrender before it is too late.”
The Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center, commonly known as the Dimona nuclear reactor, is a nuclear installation located in the Negev Desert in southern Israel, approximately 13 kilometers (8 miles) southeast of the city of Dimona.
Key events
Morgan Ofori
The foreign secretary has condemned Iran’s strikes on a joint US-UK military base on the island of Diego Garcia, while stressing the UK has “taken a different position from the US and Israel” on the conflict.
Yvette Cooper said ministers wanted to see a swift resolution to the war, adding the government was supporting defensive action against the “reckless Iranian threats”.
Iran fired the missiles after warning that British lives were “in danger” after the prime minister authorised the US to carry out further strikes from British bases.
Tehran fired two intermediate-range ballistic missiles at the Chagos island but neither hit, the Iranian news agency Mehr reported.
Read more:
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement on social media responding to the Iranian strikes that tore through southern Israel on Saturday, leaving around 100 people wounded across Dimona and Arad.
“This is a very difficult evening in the campaign for our future. Just a short while ago, I spoke with the Mayor of Arad, Yair Maayan, and asked him to convey, on behalf of all Israeli citizens, our prayers for the peace of the injured,” Netanyahu wrote.
He continued: “I have instructed the Director General of my office to provide all the necessary assistance together with all government ministries. I strengthen the emergency and rescue forces operating in the field right now, and I call on everyone to heed the instructions of the Home Front Command.”
“We are determined to continue to strike our enemies on all fronts.”
Lorenzo Tondo
The Israeli Air Force has opened an investigation into its failure to intercept a ballistic missile that struck the southern city of Arad shortly before.
The missile is believed to have carried a conventional warhead containing hundreds of kilograms of explosives. It left dozens injured and caused widespread damage across the area.
Israel’s Home Front Command has also launched a parallel inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the impact.
Both the Air Force and Home Front Command are examining an earlier strike in the nearby city of Dimona, where dozens more people were reported injured.
Among the injured, seven are said to be in serious condition and 15 in moderate condition, while 42 others sustained minor injuries. Emergency teams are continuing to search the scene for additional casualties.
The Defense Ministry of the United Arab Emirates said it intercepted three ballistic missile and eight drone attacks on Saturday.
According to a statement posted on social media, the “UAE air defences have engaged 341 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles and 1,748 UAVs,” since the escalation began.
Officials also reported casualties and injuries involving multiple nationalities, while reaffirming that the UAE remains fully prepared to counter any further threats and protect its sovereignty and security.
“A total of 160 people were also injured, with injuries ranging from minor to moderate and severe,” it said. “The Ministry of Defence affirmed that it remains fully prepared and ready to deal with any threats, and will firmly confront any attempts to undermine State security in a manner that ensures the protection of its sovereignty, security and stability, and safeguards its national interests and capabilities.”
Lorenzo Tondo
Iranian barrages tore through southern Israel on Saturday, leaving around 100 people wounded across Dimona and Arad, among them a 5- and 12-year-old boy. The strikes inflicted extensive damage on multiple buildings, the force of the blast suggesting a conventional warhead packed with hundreds of kilograms of explosives.
In Arad, medics reported that a 5-year-old girl remained in serious condition following the impact of a ballistic missile. Emergency services from Magen David Adom said they were treating roughly dozens of people with injuries ranging from light to severe, after the strike damaged several residential structures. Footage circulating on social media appeared to capture the moment of impact, the explosion rippling through the city’s skyline
“It is an event of enormous magnitude,” said the organisation’s chief executive, describing scenes of chaos and uncertainty. “There are individuals we have lost contact with, and we fear for their safety.”
Israeli broadcaster Channel 13 reported early indications of multiple fatalities, though confirmation remained unclear. Unverified accounts suggested that one building had collapsed with people trapped inside, while another was engulfed in flames, raising fears that the toll could rise further as rescue efforts continue.
Lorenzo Tondo
At least five people are reported to have been killed and over 70 injured in the southern Israeli city of Arad following Iran’s latest ballistic missile attack.
Some reports suggest a building collapsed with people in and another is on fire.
Nine buildings are believed to have been damaged with concerns over a high number of missing and trapped people.
A large casualty incident has been declared with rescue forces and fire brigades dispatched.
An Israeli military commander said he has approved new plans “to continue the fighting” with Iran.
Chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said: “We are midway along the path, but the direction is clear.”
Zamir said the “extensive” attacks Israel has carried out with the US have weakened Iran, adding: “No containment any longer! But initiative! And attack!”
Saudi Arabia has ordered Iran’s military attache and four other embassy staff to leave the kingdom within 24 hours after declaring them persona non grata, the Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement, citing what it described as continued Iranian attacks against Saudi territory.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said on Saturday it was aware of reports that a projectile had struck the city of Dimona in Israel but had received no indication of damage to the Negev nuclear research center.
The agency said regional authorities reported no abnormal radiation levels following the incident and that it was closely monitoring the situation and would continue to seek further information, Reuters reports.
The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) countries said on Saturday they stood ready to take necessary measures to support global energy supplies and reaffirmed the importance of safeguarding maritime routes, including in the strait of Hormuz.
“We … express support to our partners in the region in the face of the unjustifiable attacks by the Islamic Republic of Iran and its proxies,” the ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US, as well as the top EU diplomat, said in a statement.
“We condemn in the strongest terms the regime’s reckless attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, including energy infrastructure,” they said.
Thousands gathered on Saturday in central London for a Stop the War demonstration to protest against the war in Iran. Here are some photos of the protests:
Iran has claimed it attacked Dimona “after the US and Israel attacked the Bushehr power plant and the Natanz facilities.”
The Iranian Tasnim news agency wrote: “The enemy has once again received an unforgettable lesson. The missile attack on the Dimona area has once again sent a clear message: No area is safe from Iranian missiles. The enemy must surrender before it is too late.”
The Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center, commonly known as the Dimona nuclear reactor, is a nuclear installation located in the Negev Desert in southern Israel, approximately 13 kilometers (8 miles) southeast of the city of Dimona.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters this week that he believes the military operation in Iran is “all but done.”
“I do think the original mission is virtually accomplished now,” Johnson said, speaking at the Capitol. “We were trying to take out the ballistic missiles, and their means of production, and neuter the navy, and those objectives have been met.”
Johnson acknowledged that Iran’s ability to threaten ships in the strait of Hormuz is “dragging it out a little bit,” especially as the US allies have mostly ignored Trump’s requests for help, but he added: “As soon as we bring some calm to the situation, I think it’s all but done.”
The Lebanese Health Ministry said Saturday that three deaths were reported over the past 24 hours, and 99 people were wounded, raising the total number of injured individuals to 2,740.
The latest Israel-Hezbollah war began on March 2, when the Iran-backed militia fired rockets into northern Israel two days after the US and Israeli attacks on Iran triggered a widening war in the Middle East.
Israel has since ordered evacuations from large parts of southern and eastern Lebanon as well as Beirut’s southern suburbs, and more than 1 million people have been displaced.
Hooman Majd
When Israeli and American missiles first started falling on Tehran, and as news of the death of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, leaked out, Nasser, a sixtysomething Iranian American dad from Boston who regularly travels to Iran, briefly experienced something akin to optimism. He “felt a flash of hope”, he told me, “or maybe vengeance, when Khamenei and his circle were hit”.
It was a common sentiment among the millions of Iranians in the North American diaspora who have, for multiple reasons, come to reject the rule of the velayat-e-faqih, or the “guardianship of the Islamic jurist”, the Islamic Republic’s governing doctrine. Many Iranians inside and outside the country had just recently held Khamenei directly responsible for the horrific bloodshed during the mass protests in January. If the top leadership of the Islamic republic was decapitated, perhaps, many believed, Iran could forge a different future.
But now, after three weeks of all-out war on his homeland and with thousands of dead Iranians, damage to cultural heritage sites, and seeming randomness of missile attacks in cities, that hope has disappeared. “Now,” he tells me, “I feel sick about it.”
Read more:
A Patriot air defence system was involved in the interception of an Iranian drone over a residential area of Bahrain on March 9, Bahrain’s government said on Saturday according to Reuters. The incident was characterized by the US military as a direct Iranian drone strike.
At the time, Bahrain said 32 civilians had been injured, including children who required medical treatment, and the US military said an Iranian drone had struck a residential neighborhood.
On Saturday, a government spokesperson said the Kingdom had been subjected to multiple Iranian drone attacks that day, and that the interception over the Sitra district had prevented a drone strike and saved lives.
“During this incident, the Patriot air defense system intercepted an Iranian drone aerially,” they said. “Had the Iranian drone impacted the residential area, it would have resulted in significant loss of life.”
US Central Command at the time denied reports from Russian and Iranian media that a US Patriot missile had failed to intercept an Iranian missile or drone and instead inadvertently struck a residential area.
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Iran has claimed it attacked Dimona “after the US and Israel attacked the Bushehr power plant and the Natanz facilities.”
The Iranian Tasnim news agency wrote: “The enemy has once again received an unforgettable lesson. The missile attack on the Dimona area has once again sent a clear message: No area is safe from Iranian missiles. The enemy must surrender before it is too late.”
The Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center, commonly known as the Dimona nuclear reactor, is a nuclear installation located in the Negev Desert in southern Israel, approximately 13 kilometers (8 miles) southeast of the city of Dimona.
Key events
Morgan Ofori
The foreign secretary has condemned Iran’s strikes on a joint US-UK military base on the island of Diego Garcia, while stressing the UK has “taken a different position from the US and Israel” on the conflict.
Yvette Cooper said ministers wanted to see a swift resolution to the war, adding the government was supporting defensive action against the “reckless Iranian threats”.
Iran fired the missiles after warning that British lives were “in danger” after the prime minister authorised the US to carry out further strikes from British bases.
Tehran fired two intermediate-range ballistic missiles at the Chagos island but neither hit, the Iranian news agency Mehr reported.
Read more:
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement on social media responding to the Iranian strikes that tore through southern Israel on Saturday, leaving around 100 people wounded across Dimona and Arad.
“This is a very difficult evening in the campaign for our future. Just a short while ago, I spoke with the Mayor of Arad, Yair Maayan, and asked him to convey, on behalf of all Israeli citizens, our prayers for the peace of the injured,” Netanyahu wrote.
He continued: “I have instructed the Director General of my office to provide all the necessary assistance together with all government ministries. I strengthen the emergency and rescue forces operating in the field right now, and I call on everyone to heed the instructions of the Home Front Command.”
“We are determined to continue to strike our enemies on all fronts.”
Lorenzo Tondo
The Israeli Air Force has opened an investigation into its failure to intercept a ballistic missile that struck the southern city of Arad shortly before.
The missile is believed to have carried a conventional warhead containing hundreds of kilograms of explosives. It left dozens injured and caused widespread damage across the area.
Israel’s Home Front Command has also launched a parallel inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the impact.
Both the Air Force and Home Front Command are examining an earlier strike in the nearby city of Dimona, where dozens more people were reported injured.
Among the injured, seven are said to be in serious condition and 15 in moderate condition, while 42 others sustained minor injuries. Emergency teams are continuing to search the scene for additional casualties.
The Defense Ministry of the United Arab Emirates said it intercepted three ballistic missile and eight drone attacks on Saturday.
According to a statement posted on social media, the “UAE air defences have engaged 341 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles and 1,748 UAVs,” since the escalation began.
Officials also reported casualties and injuries involving multiple nationalities, while reaffirming that the UAE remains fully prepared to counter any further threats and protect its sovereignty and security.
“A total of 160 people were also injured, with injuries ranging from minor to moderate and severe,” it said. “The Ministry of Defence affirmed that it remains fully prepared and ready to deal with any threats, and will firmly confront any attempts to undermine State security in a manner that ensures the protection of its sovereignty, security and stability, and safeguards its national interests and capabilities.”
Lorenzo Tondo
Iranian barrages tore through southern Israel on Saturday, leaving around 100 people wounded across Dimona and Arad, among them a 5- and 12-year-old boy. The strikes inflicted extensive damage on multiple buildings, the force of the blast suggesting a conventional warhead packed with hundreds of kilograms of explosives.
In Arad, medics reported that a 5-year-old girl remained in serious condition following the impact of a ballistic missile. Emergency services from Magen David Adom said they were treating roughly dozens of people with injuries ranging from light to severe, after the strike damaged several residential structures. Footage circulating on social media appeared to capture the moment of impact, the explosion rippling through the city’s skyline
“It is an event of enormous magnitude,” said the organisation’s chief executive, describing scenes of chaos and uncertainty. “There are individuals we have lost contact with, and we fear for their safety.”
Israeli broadcaster Channel 13 reported early indications of multiple fatalities, though confirmation remained unclear. Unverified accounts suggested that one building had collapsed with people trapped inside, while another was engulfed in flames, raising fears that the toll could rise further as rescue efforts continue.
Lorenzo Tondo
At least five people are reported to have been killed and over 70 injured in the southern Israeli city of Arad following Iran’s latest ballistic missile attack.
Some reports suggest a building collapsed with people in and another is on fire.
Nine buildings are believed to have been damaged with concerns over a high number of missing and trapped people.
A large casualty incident has been declared with rescue forces and fire brigades dispatched.
An Israeli military commander said he has approved new plans “to continue the fighting” with Iran.
Chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said: “We are midway along the path, but the direction is clear.”
Zamir said the “extensive” attacks Israel has carried out with the US have weakened Iran, adding: “No containment any longer! But initiative! And attack!”
Saudi Arabia has ordered Iran’s military attache and four other embassy staff to leave the kingdom within 24 hours after declaring them persona non grata, the Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement, citing what it described as continued Iranian attacks against Saudi territory.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said on Saturday it was aware of reports that a projectile had struck the city of Dimona in Israel but had received no indication of damage to the Negev nuclear research center.
The agency said regional authorities reported no abnormal radiation levels following the incident and that it was closely monitoring the situation and would continue to seek further information, Reuters reports.
The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) countries said on Saturday they stood ready to take necessary measures to support global energy supplies and reaffirmed the importance of safeguarding maritime routes, including in the strait of Hormuz.
“We … express support to our partners in the region in the face of the unjustifiable attacks by the Islamic Republic of Iran and its proxies,” the ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US, as well as the top EU diplomat, said in a statement.
“We condemn in the strongest terms the regime’s reckless attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, including energy infrastructure,” they said.
Thousands gathered on Saturday in central London for a Stop the War demonstration to protest against the war in Iran. Here are some photos of the protests:
Iran has claimed it attacked Dimona “after the US and Israel attacked the Bushehr power plant and the Natanz facilities.”
The Iranian Tasnim news agency wrote: “The enemy has once again received an unforgettable lesson. The missile attack on the Dimona area has once again sent a clear message: No area is safe from Iranian missiles. The enemy must surrender before it is too late.”
The Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center, commonly known as the Dimona nuclear reactor, is a nuclear installation located in the Negev Desert in southern Israel, approximately 13 kilometers (8 miles) southeast of the city of Dimona.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters this week that he believes the military operation in Iran is “all but done.”
“I do think the original mission is virtually accomplished now,” Johnson said, speaking at the Capitol. “We were trying to take out the ballistic missiles, and their means of production, and neuter the navy, and those objectives have been met.”
Johnson acknowledged that Iran’s ability to threaten ships in the strait of Hormuz is “dragging it out a little bit,” especially as the US allies have mostly ignored Trump’s requests for help, but he added: “As soon as we bring some calm to the situation, I think it’s all but done.”
The Lebanese Health Ministry said Saturday that three deaths were reported over the past 24 hours, and 99 people were wounded, raising the total number of injured individuals to 2,740.
The latest Israel-Hezbollah war began on March 2, when the Iran-backed militia fired rockets into northern Israel two days after the US and Israeli attacks on Iran triggered a widening war in the Middle East.
Israel has since ordered evacuations from large parts of southern and eastern Lebanon as well as Beirut’s southern suburbs, and more than 1 million people have been displaced.
Hooman Majd
When Israeli and American missiles first started falling on Tehran, and as news of the death of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, leaked out, Nasser, a sixtysomething Iranian American dad from Boston who regularly travels to Iran, briefly experienced something akin to optimism. He “felt a flash of hope”, he told me, “or maybe vengeance, when Khamenei and his circle were hit”.
It was a common sentiment among the millions of Iranians in the North American diaspora who have, for multiple reasons, come to reject the rule of the velayat-e-faqih, or the “guardianship of the Islamic jurist”, the Islamic Republic’s governing doctrine. Many Iranians inside and outside the country had just recently held Khamenei directly responsible for the horrific bloodshed during the mass protests in January. If the top leadership of the Islamic republic was decapitated, perhaps, many believed, Iran could forge a different future.
But now, after three weeks of all-out war on his homeland and with thousands of dead Iranians, damage to cultural heritage sites, and seeming randomness of missile attacks in cities, that hope has disappeared. “Now,” he tells me, “I feel sick about it.”
Read more:
A Patriot air defence system was involved in the interception of an Iranian drone over a residential area of Bahrain on March 9, Bahrain’s government said on Saturday according to Reuters. The incident was characterized by the US military as a direct Iranian drone strike.
At the time, Bahrain said 32 civilians had been injured, including children who required medical treatment, and the US military said an Iranian drone had struck a residential neighborhood.
On Saturday, a government spokesperson said the Kingdom had been subjected to multiple Iranian drone attacks that day, and that the interception over the Sitra district had prevented a drone strike and saved lives.
“During this incident, the Patriot air defense system intercepted an Iranian drone aerially,” they said. “Had the Iranian drone impacted the residential area, it would have resulted in significant loss of life.”
US Central Command at the time denied reports from Russian and Iranian media that a US Patriot missile had failed to intercept an Iranian missile or drone and instead inadvertently struck a residential area.
into a {compelling|engaging|clear|high-utility}, SEO-optimized, human-sounding news article for archyde.com about Middle East crisis live: Iran hits Israeli town housing nuclear facility in retaliation for Natanz strike | US-Israel war on Iran.
– Preserve the core meaning and verified facts.
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Iran has claimed it attacked Dimona “after the US and Israel attacked the Bushehr power plant and the Natanz facilities.”
The Iranian Tasnim news agency wrote: “The enemy has once again received an unforgettable lesson. The missile attack on the Dimona area has once again sent a clear message: No area is safe from Iranian missiles. The enemy must surrender before it is too late.”
The Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center, commonly known as the Dimona nuclear reactor, is a nuclear installation located in the Negev Desert in southern Israel, approximately 13 kilometers (8 miles) southeast of the city of Dimona.
Key events
Morgan Ofori
The foreign secretary has condemned Iran’s strikes on a joint US-UK military base on the island of Diego Garcia, while stressing the UK has “taken a different position from the US and Israel” on the conflict.
Yvette Cooper said ministers wanted to see a swift resolution to the war, adding the government was supporting defensive action against the “reckless Iranian threats”.
Iran fired the missiles after warning that British lives were “in danger” after the prime minister authorised the US to carry out further strikes from British bases.
Tehran fired two intermediate-range ballistic missiles at the Chagos island but neither hit, the Iranian news agency Mehr reported.
Read more:
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement on social media responding to the Iranian strikes that tore through southern Israel on Saturday, leaving around 100 people wounded across Dimona and Arad.
“This is a very difficult evening in the campaign for our future. Just a short while ago, I spoke with the Mayor of Arad, Yair Maayan, and asked him to convey, on behalf of all Israeli citizens, our prayers for the peace of the injured,” Netanyahu wrote.
He continued: “I have instructed the Director General of my office to provide all the necessary assistance together with all government ministries. I strengthen the emergency and rescue forces operating in the field right now, and I call on everyone to heed the instructions of the Home Front Command.”
“We are determined to continue to strike our enemies on all fronts.”
Lorenzo Tondo
The Israeli Air Force has opened an investigation into its failure to intercept a ballistic missile that struck the southern city of Arad shortly before.
The missile is believed to have carried a conventional warhead containing hundreds of kilograms of explosives. It left dozens injured and caused widespread damage across the area.
Israel’s Home Front Command has also launched a parallel inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the impact.
Both the Air Force and Home Front Command are examining an earlier strike in the nearby city of Dimona, where dozens more people were reported injured.
Among the injured, seven are said to be in serious condition and 15 in moderate condition, while 42 others sustained minor injuries. Emergency teams are continuing to search the scene for additional casualties.
The Defense Ministry of the United Arab Emirates said it intercepted three ballistic missile and eight drone attacks on Saturday.
According to a statement posted on social media, the “UAE air defences have engaged 341 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles and 1,748 UAVs,” since the escalation began.
Officials also reported casualties and injuries involving multiple nationalities, while reaffirming that the UAE remains fully prepared to counter any further threats and protect its sovereignty and security.
“A total of 160 people were also injured, with injuries ranging from minor to moderate and severe,” it said. “The Ministry of Defence affirmed that it remains fully prepared and ready to deal with any threats, and will firmly confront any attempts to undermine State security in a manner that ensures the protection of its sovereignty, security and stability, and safeguards its national interests and capabilities.”
Lorenzo Tondo
Iranian barrages tore through southern Israel on Saturday, leaving around 100 people wounded across Dimona and Arad, among them a 5- and 12-year-old boy. The strikes inflicted extensive damage on multiple buildings, the force of the blast suggesting a conventional warhead packed with hundreds of kilograms of explosives.
In Arad, medics reported that a 5-year-old girl remained in serious condition following the impact of a ballistic missile. Emergency services from Magen David Adom said they were treating roughly dozens of people with injuries ranging from light to severe, after the strike damaged several residential structures. Footage circulating on social media appeared to capture the moment of impact, the explosion rippling through the city’s skyline
“It is an event of enormous magnitude,” said the organisation’s chief executive, describing scenes of chaos and uncertainty. “There are individuals we have lost contact with, and we fear for their safety.”
Israeli broadcaster Channel 13 reported early indications of multiple fatalities, though confirmation remained unclear. Unverified accounts suggested that one building had collapsed with people trapped inside, while another was engulfed in flames, raising fears that the toll could rise further as rescue efforts continue.
Lorenzo Tondo
At least five people are reported to have been killed and over 70 injured in the southern Israeli city of Arad following Iran’s latest ballistic missile attack.
Some reports suggest a building collapsed with people in and another is on fire.
Nine buildings are believed to have been damaged with concerns over a high number of missing and trapped people.
A large casualty incident has been declared with rescue forces and fire brigades dispatched.
An Israeli military commander said he has approved new plans “to continue the fighting” with Iran.
Chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said: “We are midway along the path, but the direction is clear.”
Zamir said the “extensive” attacks Israel has carried out with the US have weakened Iran, adding: “No containment any longer! But initiative! And attack!”
Saudi Arabia has ordered Iran’s military attache and four other embassy staff to leave the kingdom within 24 hours after declaring them persona non grata, the Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement, citing what it described as continued Iranian attacks against Saudi territory.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said on Saturday it was aware of reports that a projectile had struck the city of Dimona in Israel but had received no indication of damage to the Negev nuclear research center.
The agency said regional authorities reported no abnormal radiation levels following the incident and that it was closely monitoring the situation and would continue to seek further information, Reuters reports.
The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) countries said on Saturday they stood ready to take necessary measures to support global energy supplies and reaffirmed the importance of safeguarding maritime routes, including in the strait of Hormuz.
“We … express support to our partners in the region in the face of the unjustifiable attacks by the Islamic Republic of Iran and its proxies,” the ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US, as well as the top EU diplomat, said in a statement.
“We condemn in the strongest terms the regime’s reckless attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, including energy infrastructure,” they said.
Thousands gathered on Saturday in central London for a Stop the War demonstration to protest against the war in Iran. Here are some photos of the protests:
Iran has claimed it attacked Dimona “after the US and Israel attacked the Bushehr power plant and the Natanz facilities.”
The Iranian Tasnim news agency wrote: “The enemy has once again received an unforgettable lesson. The missile attack on the Dimona area has once again sent a clear message: No area is safe from Iranian missiles. The enemy must surrender before it is too late.”
The Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center, commonly known as the Dimona nuclear reactor, is a nuclear installation located in the Negev Desert in southern Israel, approximately 13 kilometers (8 miles) southeast of the city of Dimona.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters this week that he believes the military operation in Iran is “all but done.”
“I do think the original mission is virtually accomplished now,” Johnson said, speaking at the Capitol. “We were trying to take out the ballistic missiles, and their means of production, and neuter the navy, and those objectives have been met.”
Johnson acknowledged that Iran’s ability to threaten ships in the strait of Hormuz is “dragging it out a little bit,” especially as the US allies have mostly ignored Trump’s requests for help, but he added: “As soon as we bring some calm to the situation, I think it’s all but done.”
The Lebanese Health Ministry said Saturday that three deaths were reported over the past 24 hours, and 99 people were wounded, raising the total number of injured individuals to 2,740.
The latest Israel-Hezbollah war began on March 2, when the Iran-backed militia fired rockets into northern Israel two days after the US and Israeli attacks on Iran triggered a widening war in the Middle East.
Israel has since ordered evacuations from large parts of southern and eastern Lebanon as well as Beirut’s southern suburbs, and more than 1 million people have been displaced.
Hooman Majd
When Israeli and American missiles first started falling on Tehran, and as news of the death of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, leaked out, Nasser, a sixtysomething Iranian American dad from Boston who regularly travels to Iran, briefly experienced something akin to optimism. He “felt a flash of hope”, he told me, “or maybe vengeance, when Khamenei and his circle were hit”.
It was a common sentiment among the millions of Iranians in the North American diaspora who have, for multiple reasons, come to reject the rule of the velayat-e-faqih, or the “guardianship of the Islamic jurist”, the Islamic Republic’s governing doctrine. Many Iranians inside and outside the country had just recently held Khamenei directly responsible for the horrific bloodshed during the mass protests in January. If the top leadership of the Islamic republic was decapitated, perhaps, many believed, Iran could forge a different future.
But now, after three weeks of all-out war on his homeland and with thousands of dead Iranians, damage to cultural heritage sites, and seeming randomness of missile attacks in cities, that hope has disappeared. “Now,” he tells me, “I feel sick about it.”
Read more:
A Patriot air defence system was involved in the interception of an Iranian drone over a residential area of Bahrain on March 9, Bahrain’s government said on Saturday according to Reuters. The incident was characterized by the US military as a direct Iranian drone strike.
At the time, Bahrain said 32 civilians had been injured, including children who required medical treatment, and the US military said an Iranian drone had struck a residential neighborhood.
On Saturday, a government spokesperson said the Kingdom had been subjected to multiple Iranian drone attacks that day, and that the interception over the Sitra district had prevented a drone strike and saved lives.
“During this incident, the Patriot air defense system intercepted an Iranian drone aerially,” they said. “Had the Iranian drone impacted the residential area, it would have resulted in significant loss of life.”
US Central Command at the time denied reports from Russian and Iranian media that a US Patriot missile had failed to intercept an Iranian missile or drone and instead inadvertently struck a residential area.
.
– Do NOT include any notes, explanations, keyword lists, or meta commentary.
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(the theme already provides the title).
NON-NEGOTIABLE ACCURACY LOCKS (MANDATORY)
– Do NOT change relationships, roles, or statuses. If the source says “former partner,” do not change it to “husband.” If the source says “educator,” do not change it to “teacher,” unless verified and linked.
– Do NOT shift timelines. If an event is described as past behavior, keep it in the past; never move it “into the attack” or “during the incident.”
– QUOTE INTEGRITY: If you use quotation marks, the quote must be copied EXACTLY from a verified source. If you cannot quote exactly, paraphrase without quotation marks.
– SENSITIVE VIOLENCE HANDLING: If the story involves violence, minors, mass casualties, or graphic injury, keep descriptions restrained and non-graphic. Do not describe wound paths, gore, or explicit medical detail. Summarize injuries in a factual, minimal way unless the detail is essential and verified.
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1) OUTLET STRIPPING (HARD RULE)
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Iran has claimed it attacked Dimona “after the US and Israel attacked the Bushehr power plant and the Natanz facilities.”
The Iranian Tasnim news agency wrote: “The enemy has once again received an unforgettable lesson. The missile attack on the Dimona area has once again sent a clear message: No area is safe from Iranian missiles. The enemy must surrender before it is too late.”
The Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center, commonly known as the Dimona nuclear reactor, is a nuclear installation located in the Negev Desert in southern Israel, approximately 13 kilometers (8 miles) southeast of the city of Dimona.
Key events
Morgan Ofori
The foreign secretary has condemned Iran’s strikes on a joint US-UK military base on the island of Diego Garcia, while stressing the UK has “taken a different position from the US and Israel” on the conflict.
Yvette Cooper said ministers wanted to see a swift resolution to the war, adding the government was supporting defensive action against the “reckless Iranian threats”.
Iran fired the missiles after warning that British lives were “in danger” after the prime minister authorised the US to carry out further strikes from British bases.
Tehran fired two intermediate-range ballistic missiles at the Chagos island but neither hit, the Iranian news agency Mehr reported.
Read more:
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement on social media responding to the Iranian strikes that tore through southern Israel on Saturday, leaving around 100 people wounded across Dimona and Arad.
“This is a very difficult evening in the campaign for our future. Just a short while ago, I spoke with the Mayor of Arad, Yair Maayan, and asked him to convey, on behalf of all Israeli citizens, our prayers for the peace of the injured,” Netanyahu wrote.
He continued: “I have instructed the Director General of my office to provide all the necessary assistance together with all government ministries. I strengthen the emergency and rescue forces operating in the field right now, and I call on everyone to heed the instructions of the Home Front Command.”
“We are determined to continue to strike our enemies on all fronts.”
Lorenzo Tondo
The Israeli Air Force has opened an investigation into its failure to intercept a ballistic missile that struck the southern city of Arad shortly before.
The missile is believed to have carried a conventional warhead containing hundreds of kilograms of explosives. It left dozens injured and caused widespread damage across the area.
Israel’s Home Front Command has also launched a parallel inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the impact.
Both the Air Force and Home Front Command are examining an earlier strike in the nearby city of Dimona, where dozens more people were reported injured.
Among the injured, seven are said to be in serious condition and 15 in moderate condition, while 42 others sustained minor injuries. Emergency teams are continuing to search the scene for additional casualties.
The Defense Ministry of the United Arab Emirates said it intercepted three ballistic missile and eight drone attacks on Saturday.
According to a statement posted on social media, the “UAE air defences have engaged 341 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles and 1,748 UAVs,” since the escalation began.
Officials also reported casualties and injuries involving multiple nationalities, while reaffirming that the UAE remains fully prepared to counter any further threats and protect its sovereignty and security.
“A total of 160 people were also injured, with injuries ranging from minor to moderate and severe,” it said. “The Ministry of Defence affirmed that it remains fully prepared and ready to deal with any threats, and will firmly confront any attempts to undermine State security in a manner that ensures the protection of its sovereignty, security and stability, and safeguards its national interests and capabilities.”
Lorenzo Tondo
Iranian barrages tore through southern Israel on Saturday, leaving around 100 people wounded across Dimona and Arad, among them a 5- and 12-year-old boy. The strikes inflicted extensive damage on multiple buildings, the force of the blast suggesting a conventional warhead packed with hundreds of kilograms of explosives.
In Arad, medics reported that a 5-year-old girl remained in serious condition following the impact of a ballistic missile. Emergency services from Magen David Adom said they were treating roughly dozens of people with injuries ranging from light to severe, after the strike damaged several residential structures. Footage circulating on social media appeared to capture the moment of impact, the explosion rippling through the city’s skyline
“It is an event of enormous magnitude,” said the organisation’s chief executive, describing scenes of chaos and uncertainty. “There are individuals we have lost contact with, and we fear for their safety.”
Israeli broadcaster Channel 13 reported early indications of multiple fatalities, though confirmation remained unclear. Unverified accounts suggested that one building had collapsed with people trapped inside, while another was engulfed in flames, raising fears that the toll could rise further as rescue efforts continue.
Lorenzo Tondo
At least five people are reported to have been killed and over 70 injured in the southern Israeli city of Arad following Iran’s latest ballistic missile attack.
Some reports suggest a building collapsed with people in and another is on fire.
Nine buildings are believed to have been damaged with concerns over a high number of missing and trapped people.
A large casualty incident has been declared with rescue forces and fire brigades dispatched.
An Israeli military commander said he has approved new plans “to continue the fighting” with Iran.
Chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said: “We are midway along the path, but the direction is clear.”
Zamir said the “extensive” attacks Israel has carried out with the US have weakened Iran, adding: “No containment any longer! But initiative! And attack!”
Saudi Arabia has ordered Iran’s military attache and four other embassy staff to leave the kingdom within 24 hours after declaring them persona non grata, the Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement, citing what it described as continued Iranian attacks against Saudi territory.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said on Saturday it was aware of reports that a projectile had struck the city of Dimona in Israel but had received no indication of damage to the Negev nuclear research center.
The agency said regional authorities reported no abnormal radiation levels following the incident and that it was closely monitoring the situation and would continue to seek further information, Reuters reports.
The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) countries said on Saturday they stood ready to take necessary measures to support global energy supplies and reaffirmed the importance of safeguarding maritime routes, including in the strait of Hormuz.
“We … express support to our partners in the region in the face of the unjustifiable attacks by the Islamic Republic of Iran and its proxies,” the ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US, as well as the top EU diplomat, said in a statement.
“We condemn in the strongest terms the regime’s reckless attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, including energy infrastructure,” they said.
Thousands gathered on Saturday in central London for a Stop the War demonstration to protest against the war in Iran. Here are some photos of the protests:
Iran has claimed it attacked Dimona “after the US and Israel attacked the Bushehr power plant and the Natanz facilities.”
The Iranian Tasnim news agency wrote: “The enemy has once again received an unforgettable lesson. The missile attack on the Dimona area has once again sent a clear message: No area is safe from Iranian missiles. The enemy must surrender before it is too late.”
The Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center, commonly known as the Dimona nuclear reactor, is a nuclear installation located in the Negev Desert in southern Israel, approximately 13 kilometers (8 miles) southeast of the city of Dimona.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters this week that he believes the military operation in Iran is “all but done.”
“I do think the original mission is virtually accomplished now,” Johnson said, speaking at the Capitol. “We were trying to take out the ballistic missiles, and their means of production, and neuter the navy, and those objectives have been met.”
Johnson acknowledged that Iran’s ability to threaten ships in the strait of Hormuz is “dragging it out a little bit,” especially as the US allies have mostly ignored Trump’s requests for help, but he added: “As soon as we bring some calm to the situation, I think it’s all but done.”
The Lebanese Health Ministry said Saturday that three deaths were reported over the past 24 hours, and 99 people were wounded, raising the total number of injured individuals to 2,740.
The latest Israel-Hezbollah war began on March 2, when the Iran-backed militia fired rockets into northern Israel two days after the US and Israeli attacks on Iran triggered a widening war in the Middle East.
Israel has since ordered evacuations from large parts of southern and eastern Lebanon as well as Beirut’s southern suburbs, and more than 1 million people have been displaced.
Hooman Majd
When Israeli and American missiles first started falling on Tehran, and as news of the death of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, leaked out, Nasser, a sixtysomething Iranian American dad from Boston who regularly travels to Iran, briefly experienced something akin to optimism. He “felt a flash of hope”, he told me, “or maybe vengeance, when Khamenei and his circle were hit”.
It was a common sentiment among the millions of Iranians in the North American diaspora who have, for multiple reasons, come to reject the rule of the velayat-e-faqih, or the “guardianship of the Islamic jurist”, the Islamic Republic’s governing doctrine. Many Iranians inside and outside the country had just recently held Khamenei directly responsible for the horrific bloodshed during the mass protests in January. If the top leadership of the Islamic republic was decapitated, perhaps, many believed, Iran could forge a different future.
But now, after three weeks of all-out war on his homeland and with thousands of dead Iranians, damage to cultural heritage sites, and seeming randomness of missile attacks in cities, that hope has disappeared. “Now,” he tells me, “I feel sick about it.”
Read more:
A Patriot air defence system was involved in the interception of an Iranian drone over a residential area of Bahrain on March 9, Bahrain’s government said on Saturday according to Reuters. The incident was characterized by the US military as a direct Iranian drone strike.
At the time, Bahrain said 32 civilians had been injured, including children who required medical treatment, and the US military said an Iranian drone had struck a residential neighborhood.
On Saturday, a government spokesperson said the Kingdom had been subjected to multiple Iranian drone attacks that day, and that the interception over the Sitra district had prevented a drone strike and saved lives.
“During this incident, the Patriot air defense system intercepted an Iranian drone aerially,” they said. “Had the Iranian drone impacted the residential area, it would have resulted in significant loss of life.”
US Central Command at the time denied reports from Russian and Iranian media that a US Patriot missile had failed to intercept an Iranian missile or drone and instead inadvertently struck a residential area.
unless the outlet is itself the subject of the story and independently verified.
– Use neutral attribution instead: “the official said,” “the minister said,” “police said,” “the court said,” “the spokesperson said.”
2) INLINE LINK LOCK FOR KEY FIGURES
– Any key number must be verified and must include an inline verification link in the SAME sentence.
– If reliable sources vary, report a range and attribute it with links.
3) LOADED WORDS REQUIRE ATTRIBUTION
– Any loaded adjective must be removed OR placed in quotes and attributed to a named source or organization, linked when possible.
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– Do not claim institutions “will continue” doing something unless verified.
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SEO + USER INTENT (NATURAL INTEGRATION)
– Identify ONE primary keyword phrase based on the verified topic and user intent (related to Middle East crisis live: Iran hits Israeli town housing nuclear facility in retaliation for Natanz strike | US-Israel war on Iran).
– Use it naturally within the first {80|100|120} words and {once more later|again later|one more time later}.
– Naturally include {8|10|12|14} related semantic phrases and long-tail variants without stuffing or repetitive exact-match loops.
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LINKS (VERIFIED ONLY, HIGH AUTHORITY)
Include {2|3|4|5} inline external links to authoritative sources you actually used to verify key facts, prioritizing official sources first.
– HTML only: Descriptive Anchor Text
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– Avoid low-authority blogs, partisan aggregators, or unclear publishers. If a claim depends on weak sourcing, omit it.
EMBED + MEDIA PRESERVATION (MANDATORY)
You MUST preserve and reuse relevant embeds and essential media from
Iran has claimed it attacked Dimona “after the US and Israel attacked the Bushehr power plant and the Natanz facilities.”
The Iranian Tasnim news agency wrote: “The enemy has once again received an unforgettable lesson. The missile attack on the Dimona area has once again sent a clear message: No area is safe from Iranian missiles. The enemy must surrender before it is too late.”
The Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center, commonly known as the Dimona nuclear reactor, is a nuclear installation located in the Negev Desert in southern Israel, approximately 13 kilometers (8 miles) southeast of the city of Dimona.
Key events
Morgan Ofori
The foreign secretary has condemned Iran’s strikes on a joint US-UK military base on the island of Diego Garcia, while stressing the UK has “taken a different position from the US and Israel” on the conflict.
Yvette Cooper said ministers wanted to see a swift resolution to the war, adding the government was supporting defensive action against the “reckless Iranian threats”.
Iran fired the missiles after warning that British lives were “in danger” after the prime minister authorised the US to carry out further strikes from British bases.
Tehran fired two intermediate-range ballistic missiles at the Chagos island but neither hit, the Iranian news agency Mehr reported.
Read more:
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement on social media responding to the Iranian strikes that tore through southern Israel on Saturday, leaving around 100 people wounded across Dimona and Arad.
“This is a very difficult evening in the campaign for our future. Just a short while ago, I spoke with the Mayor of Arad, Yair Maayan, and asked him to convey, on behalf of all Israeli citizens, our prayers for the peace of the injured,” Netanyahu wrote.
He continued: “I have instructed the Director General of my office to provide all the necessary assistance together with all government ministries. I strengthen the emergency and rescue forces operating in the field right now, and I call on everyone to heed the instructions of the Home Front Command.”
“We are determined to continue to strike our enemies on all fronts.”
Lorenzo Tondo
The Israeli Air Force has opened an investigation into its failure to intercept a ballistic missile that struck the southern city of Arad shortly before.
The missile is believed to have carried a conventional warhead containing hundreds of kilograms of explosives. It left dozens injured and caused widespread damage across the area.
Israel’s Home Front Command has also launched a parallel inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the impact.
Both the Air Force and Home Front Command are examining an earlier strike in the nearby city of Dimona, where dozens more people were reported injured.
Among the injured, seven are said to be in serious condition and 15 in moderate condition, while 42 others sustained minor injuries. Emergency teams are continuing to search the scene for additional casualties.
The Defense Ministry of the United Arab Emirates said it intercepted three ballistic missile and eight drone attacks on Saturday.
According to a statement posted on social media, the “UAE air defences have engaged 341 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles and 1,748 UAVs,” since the escalation began.
Officials also reported casualties and injuries involving multiple nationalities, while reaffirming that the UAE remains fully prepared to counter any further threats and protect its sovereignty and security.
“A total of 160 people were also injured, with injuries ranging from minor to moderate and severe,” it said. “The Ministry of Defence affirmed that it remains fully prepared and ready to deal with any threats, and will firmly confront any attempts to undermine State security in a manner that ensures the protection of its sovereignty, security and stability, and safeguards its national interests and capabilities.”
Lorenzo Tondo
Iranian barrages tore through southern Israel on Saturday, leaving around 100 people wounded across Dimona and Arad, among them a 5- and 12-year-old boy. The strikes inflicted extensive damage on multiple buildings, the force of the blast suggesting a conventional warhead packed with hundreds of kilograms of explosives.
In Arad, medics reported that a 5-year-old girl remained in serious condition following the impact of a ballistic missile. Emergency services from Magen David Adom said they were treating roughly dozens of people with injuries ranging from light to severe, after the strike damaged several residential structures. Footage circulating on social media appeared to capture the moment of impact, the explosion rippling through the city’s skyline
“It is an event of enormous magnitude,” said the organisation’s chief executive, describing scenes of chaos and uncertainty. “There are individuals we have lost contact with, and we fear for their safety.”
Israeli broadcaster Channel 13 reported early indications of multiple fatalities, though confirmation remained unclear. Unverified accounts suggested that one building had collapsed with people trapped inside, while another was engulfed in flames, raising fears that the toll could rise further as rescue efforts continue.
Lorenzo Tondo
At least five people are reported to have been killed and over 70 injured in the southern Israeli city of Arad following Iran’s latest ballistic missile attack.
Some reports suggest a building collapsed with people in and another is on fire.
Nine buildings are believed to have been damaged with concerns over a high number of missing and trapped people.
A large casualty incident has been declared with rescue forces and fire brigades dispatched.
An Israeli military commander said he has approved new plans “to continue the fighting” with Iran.
Chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said: “We are midway along the path, but the direction is clear.”
Zamir said the “extensive” attacks Israel has carried out with the US have weakened Iran, adding: “No containment any longer! But initiative! And attack!”
Saudi Arabia has ordered Iran’s military attache and four other embassy staff to leave the kingdom within 24 hours after declaring them persona non grata, the Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement, citing what it described as continued Iranian attacks against Saudi territory.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said on Saturday it was aware of reports that a projectile had struck the city of Dimona in Israel but had received no indication of damage to the Negev nuclear research center.
The agency said regional authorities reported no abnormal radiation levels following the incident and that it was closely monitoring the situation and would continue to seek further information, Reuters reports.
The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) countries said on Saturday they stood ready to take necessary measures to support global energy supplies and reaffirmed the importance of safeguarding maritime routes, including in the strait of Hormuz.
“We … express support to our partners in the region in the face of the unjustifiable attacks by the Islamic Republic of Iran and its proxies,” the ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US, as well as the top EU diplomat, said in a statement.
“We condemn in the strongest terms the regime’s reckless attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, including energy infrastructure,” they said.
Thousands gathered on Saturday in central London for a Stop the War demonstration to protest against the war in Iran. Here are some photos of the protests:
Iran has claimed it attacked Dimona “after the US and Israel attacked the Bushehr power plant and the Natanz facilities.”
The Iranian Tasnim news agency wrote: “The enemy has once again received an unforgettable lesson. The missile attack on the Dimona area has once again sent a clear message: No area is safe from Iranian missiles. The enemy must surrender before it is too late.”
The Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center, commonly known as the Dimona nuclear reactor, is a nuclear installation located in the Negev Desert in southern Israel, approximately 13 kilometers (8 miles) southeast of the city of Dimona.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters this week that he believes the military operation in Iran is “all but done.”
“I do think the original mission is virtually accomplished now,” Johnson said, speaking at the Capitol. “We were trying to take out the ballistic missiles, and their means of production, and neuter the navy, and those objectives have been met.”
Johnson acknowledged that Iran’s ability to threaten ships in the strait of Hormuz is “dragging it out a little bit,” especially as the US allies have mostly ignored Trump’s requests for help, but he added: “As soon as we bring some calm to the situation, I think it’s all but done.”
The Lebanese Health Ministry said Saturday that three deaths were reported over the past 24 hours, and 99 people were wounded, raising the total number of injured individuals to 2,740.
The latest Israel-Hezbollah war began on March 2, when the Iran-backed militia fired rockets into northern Israel two days after the US and Israeli attacks on Iran triggered a widening war in the Middle East.
Israel has since ordered evacuations from large parts of southern and eastern Lebanon as well as Beirut’s southern suburbs, and more than 1 million people have been displaced.
Hooman Majd
When Israeli and American missiles first started falling on Tehran, and as news of the death of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, leaked out, Nasser, a sixtysomething Iranian American dad from Boston who regularly travels to Iran, briefly experienced something akin to optimism. He “felt a flash of hope”, he told me, “or maybe vengeance, when Khamenei and his circle were hit”.
It was a common sentiment among the millions of Iranians in the North American diaspora who have, for multiple reasons, come to reject the rule of the velayat-e-faqih, or the “guardianship of the Islamic jurist”, the Islamic Republic’s governing doctrine. Many Iranians inside and outside the country had just recently held Khamenei directly responsible for the horrific bloodshed during the mass protests in January. If the top leadership of the Islamic republic was decapitated, perhaps, many believed, Iran could forge a different future.
But now, after three weeks of all-out war on his homeland and with thousands of dead Iranians, damage to cultural heritage sites, and seeming randomness of missile attacks in cities, that hope has disappeared. “Now,” he tells me, “I feel sick about it.”
Read more:
A Patriot air defence system was involved in the interception of an Iranian drone over a residential area of Bahrain on March 9, Bahrain’s government said on Saturday according to Reuters. The incident was characterized by the US military as a direct Iranian drone strike.
At the time, Bahrain said 32 civilians had been injured, including children who required medical treatment, and the US military said an Iranian drone had struck a residential neighborhood.
On Saturday, a government spokesperson said the Kingdom had been subjected to multiple Iranian drone attacks that day, and that the interception over the Sitra district had prevented a drone strike and saved lives.
“During this incident, the Patriot air defense system intercepted an Iranian drone aerially,” they said. “Had the Iranian drone impacted the residential area, it would have resulted in significant loss of life.”
US Central Command at the time denied reports from Russian and Iranian media that a US Patriot missile had failed to intercept an Iranian missile or drone and instead inadvertently struck a residential area.
and integrate them naturally in the article.
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Return ONE standalone HTML5 block only:
– Start with
– Allowed tags:
,
,
, , ,
- ,
- ,
,
- ,