{"id":488552,"date":"2026-03-22T01:31:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-22T01:31:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/488552\/"},"modified":"2026-03-22T01:31:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-22T01:31:09","slug":"almost-100-wounded-in-iranian-missile-strikes-on-southern-israel-israel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/488552\/","title":{"rendered":"Almost 100 wounded in Iranian missile strikes on southern Israel | Israel"},"content":{"rendered":"

Iranian ballistic missile barrages wounded about 100 people in southern Israel<\/a> on Saturday, striking the cities of Arad and Dimona after air defence systems failed to intercept at least two projectiles.<\/p>\n

Among the injured were a 12-year-old boy and a five-year-old girl<\/a>, both reported to be in serious condition.<\/p>\n

Israeli broadcaster Channel 13 reported early indications of possible fatalities, though there was no official confirmation.<\/p>\n

Israeli security, rescue, and paramedics work at the scene an Iranian missile strike in Arad, Israel, 22 March. Photograph: Abir Sultan\/EPA<\/p>\n

Officials said at least 27 people were wounded in Dimona, including a teenager who sustained severe injuries from shrapnel<\/a>. In Arad, at least 68 people were injured, including 10 in serious condition and 14 moderately hurt. The remainder were treated for lighter injuries.<\/p>\n

A mass-casualty incident was declared<\/a> at Soroka hospital in Beersheba, as emergency teams responded to multiple impact sites.<\/p>\n

Magen David Adom\u2019s chief executive, Eli Bin, said some people were believed to be trapped in damaged buildings in Arad. He described the scene as \u201can event of enormous magnitude\u201d, adding that there were concerns for individuals who remained unaccounted for.<\/p>\n

According to preliminary assessments, one of the missiles \u2013 reportedly carrying a conventional warhead weighing several hundred kilograms \u2013 struck between residential buildings, causing structural damage and igniting fires in surrounding properties.<\/p>\n

Footage circulating online appeared to show the missile impact occurring seconds after warning sirens were activated, though the timing could not be independently verified.<\/p>\n

The Israeli air force said it had opened an investigation into the apparent failure to intercept the missile<\/a> that struck Arad. A parallel inquiry has been launched by the Home Front Command into the circumstances of the impact.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe air defence systems operated but did not intercept the missile. We will investigate the incident and learn from it. This is not a special or unfamiliar type of munition,\u201d the IDF spokesperson Brig Gen Effie Defrin posted on X.<\/p>\n

Defrin said: \u201cOur hearts are with the residents of Arad and Dimona tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

A damaged room after Iranian missile barrages struck residential buildings in Arad. Photograph: Ilan Assayag\/ReutersA woman in a bathrobe and other residents look on as Israeli security forces and rescue teams work at the site struck by an Iranian missile in Arad. Photograph: Ohad Zwigenberg\/AP<\/p>\n

Unverified reports suggested one building had partially collapsed with people inside, while another caught fire, raising fears the death toll could rise as rescue operations continue.<\/p>\n

The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu<\/a>, issued a statement on the \u201cvery difficult evening in the campaign for our future\u201d after the strike in Arad. \u201cWe will continue to strike our enemies on all fronts with determination,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The Israeli air force and Home Front Command are also examining an earlier strike in Dimona, a city in the Negev desert, 30km to the south-east of Beersheba and home to the Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center, widely believed to be at the heart of Israel\u2019s undeclared nuclear programme.<\/p>\n

Earlier in the evening, Iranian state-linked media said the strikes on Dimona were carried out in response to alleged attacks by the US and Israel on nuclear facilities in Bushehr and Natanz<\/a>. Israel has denied carrying out any strike on Natanz.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe enemy has once again received an unforgettable lesson,\u201d Iran\u2019s Tasnim news agency said, in a statement that could not be independently verified. \u201cNo area is safe from Iranian missiles.\u201d<\/p>\n

Emergency workers gather at the site of an Iranian missile strike hours earlier in Arad. Photograph: Erik Marmor\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

The International Atomic Energy Agency said it was aware of reports that a projectile had struck the city but had received no indication of damage to the nuclear facility. The agency added that no abnormal radiation levels had been detected and that it was continuing to monitor the situation.<\/p>\n

The Natanz facility hosts underground centrifuges to enrich uranium for Iran\u2019s disputed nuclear programme and was already damaged in last year\u2019s June war.<\/p>\n

The UN nuclear watchdog chief, Rafael Grossi, repeated a \u201ccall for military restraint to avoid any risk of a nuclear accident\u201d after the strike on Natanz.<\/p>\n

In Israel air raid sirens were triggered multiple times in Dimona overnight, underscoring the ongoing threat.<\/p>\n

Earlier this week, Israel\u2019s Home Front Command had eased some wartime restrictions in parts of the country, including Dimona, allowing schools and other educational institutions to reopen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Iranian ballistic missile barrages wounded about 100 people in southern Israel on Saturday, striking the cities of Arad…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":488553,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[49,50,51,47,52,48],"class_list":["post-488552","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/488552","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=488552"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/488552\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/488553"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=488552"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=488552"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=488552"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}