Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the southern cities of Arad and Dimona on Sunday, in the aftermath of Iranian ballistic missile strikes that targeted these areas the previous night.
The attacks, which Iran described as retaliation for alleged Israeli strikes on its nuclear facilities, marked a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict between the two nations. Despite Israel’s advanced multi-layered air defense systems intercepting most incoming projectiles, several missiles penetrated, causing widespread damage and injuries but miraculously resulting in no fatalities.
In Arad, a missile struck residential buildings, injuring over 100 people—some reports citing up to 180—including children and the elderly, with dozens requiring hospitalization and several in serious condition. Nearby Dimona, home to Israel’s key nuclear research center (widely believed to house its undeclared nuclear program), also sustained a direct hit, wounding dozens more, including a 12-year-old boy reported in grave condition. Emergency services declared mass-casualty incidents, and hospitals like Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba treated around 175 wounded individuals from both sites, with many still under care.
Netanyahu arrived at the impact sites amid heavy security, inspecting the destruction firsthand. He met with local officials, including Arad’s mayor, and conveyed prayers for the injured. Standing amid the rubble, he delivered a forceful condemnation of Iran, labeling the regime as using “mass murder weapons” by deliberately targeting civilians—children, families, and the elderly—with terror missiles.
In a strongly worded statement, Netanyahu declared: “Iran has proven again in the last 48 hours that it is the enemy of civilization and a danger to the free world: targeting children, families, and the elderly with terror missiles, threatening Jerusalem’s holy sites, launching long-range missiles, and trying to blackmail the world through the Strait of Hormuz. I ask the leaders of the free world: what are you waiting for? Israel is fighting not only for itself, but for all of you.”
He emphasized Israel’s resolve, vowing to pursue senior commanders of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) personally and to continue striking enemies on all fronts with determination. Addressing Israeli citizens directly, he stated: “I arrived today at the arenas in Arad and Dimona – whatever was damaged, we will restore and rebuild, and on a grand scale. I ask of you, my brothers and sisters, citizens of Israel: heed the instructions of the Home Front Command and enter the protected spaces upon the alert. With God’s help, we will all safeguard our lives.”
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