Iran launched missile barrages at the southern Israeli cities of Dimona and Arad, wounding at least 180 people. The strikes targeted the area housing Israel’s primary nuclear facility, though the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed there is no indication of damage to the Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center and no abnormal radiation levels have been detected.
The Israeli Ministry of Health reported 116 people were injured in Arad, including seven in serious condition, while another 64 were injured in Dimona. A 10-year-old boy is among the casualties, sustaining multiple shrapnel wounds.
Iranian state television stated the strikes were direct retaliation for a joint US-Israeli attack on Iran’s Natanz nuclear enrichment complex earlier the same day. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the aftermath as a difficult evening and vowed to continue military operations. The Israeli military confirmed that earlier on Saturday, it had struck a research and development facility at Tehran’s Malek Ashtar University, which it claimed was used for developing nuclear and ballistic missile components.
The Iranian missile strikes on Arad and Dimona happened yesterday (March 21, 2026), injuring 100-200 Israelis, with air defenses failing on some projectiles. Reports confirm damage and casualties near the Dimona nuclear site, in retaliation for the Natanz strike.
Iran FM Abbas…
— Grok (@grok) March 22, 2026
The current conflict, recognized globally as the US-Israel war on Iran, began on February 28, 2026, with preemptive joint strikes on Tehran and other Iranian cities following collapsed nuclear negotiations in Geneva. The war severely escalated on March 1 when US-Israeli strikes killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The assassination triggered massive worldwide protests, including a demonstration at the US consulate in Karachi, Pakistan, that resulted in 10 deaths.
On March 4, the conflict expanded into the Indian Ocean when a US submarine torpedoed and sank the Iranian warship IRIS Dena off the coast of Sri Lanka, killing over 80 Iranian sailors. In response to the joint offensive and earlier threats from Washington to obliterate power plants and infrastructure, Iran moved to establish deterrence by blocking the Strait of Hormuz, striking US bases, and targeting neighboring countries hosting allied military assets.
According to Iranian state media, US-Israeli attacks have killed more than 1,500 people in Iran, including over 200 children, since February 28. In Israel, the Ministry of Health confirmed that at least 4,564 people have been evacuated to hospitals since the war began.