MIDDLE EAST(NPA) — March 22, 2026 — An Iranian missile has reportedly struck the Israeli town of Dimona on Saturday, home to a nuclear facility, in what Tehran described as retaliation for an earlier strike on its Natanz enrichment complex.
Dimona hosts a facility widely believed to house the region’s only nuclear arsenal, though Israel has never officially acknowledged possessing nuclear weapons. Iran’s atomic energy organisation accused the U.S. and Israel of targeting Natanz but said no radioactive leakage was reported.
According to AFP, Israeli authorities confirmed a direct hit on a building in Dimona, with emergency responders treating 33 injured, including a 10-year-old boy in serious condition from shrapnel wounds. Paramedics described “extensive damage and chaos” at the scene.
The Israeli military said interception attempts were made as the missiles approached, but it is still unclear if the nuclear site was hit. Iranian state television framed the strike as a “response” to Natanz.
The UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has not yet issued a statement confirming damage or a leak at the site, as it urged restraint to avoid the risk of a nuclear accident.
