Iran Missiles Hit Arad, Dimona; Dozens Injured as Netanyahu Calls It Very Difficult Evening, Vows Continued Strikes
Iran launched missile attacks on southern Israel late Saturday, striking the cities of Arad and Dimona, wounding dozens of people and causing extensive damage to residential buildings, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described it as a “very difficult evening in the battle for our future” and vowed that Israel would “continue striking our enemies on all fronts.”
 |
| Verified Image from the shelling in Arad from Fire and Rescue Agency of Israel Via: Official Channel |
🔴 Aerial footage of the scene in Arad declared as mass casualty event.
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) March 21, 2026
The wounded toll of the direct Iranian ballistic missile impact in the southern city of Arad rises to 80, among them at least 7 in serious condition including children - Soroka medical centre.
Credit:… pic.twitter.com/5oVUlnY1bW
According to Israeli emergency service Magen David Adom, medics treated a “large number of casualties” in Arad, including a young child in serious condition and several others with moderate and light injuries, while additional casualties were reported in Dimona, where more than two dozen people were wounded, including a boy in serious condition and others with shrapnel injuries. Initial reports and footage from the ground showed heavily damaged buildings, shattered vehicles and ongoing rescue operations, with some individuals still unaccounted for.
BREAKING: Israeli reports now say about 100 people were injured in Arad, people also trapped under rubble. pic.twitter.com/zpVICUk3rM
— World Source News (@Worldsource24) March 21, 2026
Israeli political leaders responded as the scale of the attack became clear. Netanyahu said he had spoken with Arad’s mayor and conveyed “prayers for the recovery of the wounded,” adding that he had instructed officials “to provide the full necessary assistance together with all government ministries,” while expressing support for “emergency and rescue forces operating on the ground.” Opposition leader Yair Lapid said “this is a major disaster with dozens injured in Dimona and Arad,” adding that “our hearts are with the south tonight.”
Iran, for its part, framed the strikes as retaliation. Iranian-linked messaging said the attack on Dimona came after earlier strikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, including Natanz, and warned that “no area is safe from Iranian missiles,” describing the operation as a “clear message” to its adversaries. Israeli authorities, meanwhile, emphasized that the attacks targeted civilian areas, with one official statement stating that Iranian forces “continue to strike civilian targets… in the south of the country.”
The strikes carry heightened strategic sensitivity as Dimona houses Israel’s main nuclear research center in the Negev Desert. The International Atomic Energy Agency said it had detected “no abnormal radiation levels” following the attack, even as the incident raised fresh concerns about escalation around nuclear-linked sites in the region.
BREAKING:
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) March 21, 2026
At least 100 people injured after an Iranian ballistic missile strike against a residential area in Arad in southern Israel pic.twitter.com/ttnPIoyAjh
Rescue teams continue to search damaged structures, with reports of collapsed buildings and people potentially trapped, while the military has lifted some shelter-in-place instructions but urged continued vigilance. The attack is one of the most direct and large-scale missile barrages on southern Israel in the current phase of the conflict.
If you like our reporting, you can add Indianrepublic.in as a preferred source on google here.