Iran strikes Dimona near Israeli nuclear facility, calls it retaliation for Natanz attack

According to Financial News, the Islamic Republic of Iran has carried out a missile strike targeting an area where Israeli nuclear facilities are located.
On the 21st local time, Iranian state television announced that the country had fired missiles toward the southern Israeli city of Dimona. The broadcast said the strike was carried out as retaliation for the earlier attack on the Natanz nuclear complex.
Local reports said that ballistic missiles fell in the Dimona area that evening, leaving at least 39 people dead or injured. According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), around 30 people were wounded in Dimona, and at least 59 were injured in Arad, about 25 kilometers to the northeast. Six of the injured are reported to be in critical condition, and 13 are in serious condition.
In Arad in particular, the missile strikes caused extensive damage to several buildings and sparked fires, worsening the destruction. Fire authorities explained, "Interceptor missiles were launched in both areas but failed to stop the attack, and ballistic missiles carrying warheads weighing several hundred kilograms scored direct hits."
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it had confirmed reports that projectiles had fallen in the Dimona region, but noted that it had received no indications of damage at the nearby Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center. No abnormal radiation levels have been detected following the incident. The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) also stated the same day that the Natanz Nuclear Facility in the Islamic Republic of Iran had come under attack, but said there was no release of radioactive material.
Tensions in the international community are rising. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) condemned the latest strike, declared three staff members of the Iranian embassy persona non grata, and ordered them to leave the country within 24 hours.
Clashes triggered by U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on the Islamic Republic of Iran have now entered their fourth week, and casualties inside the Islamic Republic of Iran continue to mount. Citing the health ministry, Iranian state television reported that the number of war-related deaths has exceeded 1,500.

yesji@fnnews.com Kim Ye-ji Reporter