Iranian missiles rain down on Israeli cities (and nuclear facilities). The ayatollahs: "Tel Aviv no longer has the ability to defend itself."

Severe escalation in the Middle Eastern conflict: Iranian missiles have struck southern Israel, causing dozens of injuries and significant material damage.

Video shows the moment an Iranian missile struck Dimona in southern Israel, home to the country’s nuclear facility. Nearly 50 people have been injured.

Iran had warned it would target the area if the US and Israel pursued regime change in Tehran. pic.twitter.com/8nLHAyTSGg

— Rohitash Mahur ( Lodhi ) (@MahurRohitash) March 21, 2026

The raids targeted the area of the Negev Desert, first hitting the city of Dimona and subsequently Arad. An Iranian ballistic missile struck Arad, located about 25 kilometers northeast of Dimona. The explosion, which occurred in a residential area, had serious consequences. Israeli rescue teams responded to assist the victims. Initial assessments at the scene report around thirty injured with varying prognoses; among them, a five-year-old girl in serious condition. According to available information, the missile likely carried a conventional warhead containing several hundred kilograms of explosives. The direct impact caused significant structural damage to several residential buildings, a scene of devastation documented by images released by local media.

The strike on Arad followed a previous missile raid against Dimona, a strategic city as it is home, in the Negev Desert, to a well-known nuclear research center. This attack alone resulted in at least 39 injuries. The Iranian institutional response was immediate and emphatic. The Speaker of Parliament, Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf, commented on the outcome of the operation, stating that Israel's inability to intercept the missiles in a heavily protected area like Dimona indicates that the battle has entered a "new phase". On platform X, Ghalibaf emphasized that "the skies of Israel are defenseless" and ominously added: "it seems that the time has come to implement the next plans already prepared".

The overcoming of Israeli air defense systems in areas considered fortified represents a turning point in the perception of national security. The statements from the leaders in Tehran suggest that the attacks are not isolated incidents, but the beginning of a sequence of planned actions to exploit the current defensive vulnerabilities of Israel.