Summary of this article
At least 47 people were injured after an Iranian missile struck the southern Israeli town of Dimona, hitting a community building and damaging nearby houses.
A 12-year-old boy was seriously injured by shrapnel, while others suffered minor injuries or anxiety as they ran to shelters.
The IDF said air defences engaged the ballistic missile but interceptors failed to knock it down, and the incident is under investigation.
Rescue services reported that an Iranian missile hit the southern Israeli town of Dimona, also known as "little India" and renowned for the dome-shaped building atop its nuclear centre, on Saturday night, injuring at least 47 people.
Among the injured was a 12-year-old boy in serious condition after being hit by shrapnel, officials from the Magen David Adom (MDA) rescue services and residents told PTI.
Thirty-one people suffered minor injuries from shrapnel or were damaged after falling while rushing to shelters, while glass shards moderately injured a woman in her 30s, they said. At Soroka Hospital in Beersheba, about 14 more people received treatment for acute anxiety.
"The missile fell on a community building, and nearby older houses collapsed under the impact. Most of the people were in shelters, so they were not hurt badly, except for the young boy who stayed outside," a resident told PTI.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said it is investigating the failure to intercept the Iranian ballistic missile. The Israeli army said the air defences engaged the ballistic missile, but the interceptors failed to knock it down.
“The incident will be investigated,” it said.
UN nuclear watchdog IAEA issued a call for “maximum military restraint” after the attack.
“The IAEA is aware of reports of an incident in the city of Dimona, Israel, involving a missile impact and has not received any indication of damage to the nuclear research centre Negev,” the IAEA said in a post on X.
Iran claimed that the attack on Dimona is a "response" to a previous attack on the nuclear enrichment facility at Natanz. However, the IDF claimed it had nothing to do with the earlier-in-the-day attack on Natanz.
There is a sizable Indian-Jewish community in Dimona, and its members—mostly from the state of Maharashtra—maintain close ties to India and have continuously worked to strengthen them. The town gained the moniker "Little India" as a result.
Indian shops are spread across the town, and Marathi can be heard everywhere, with a 7,500-strong Indian community making up for some 30 per cent of the town's population. Local Indian sweets like "sonpapdi," "gulab jamun," "papri chaat," and "bhelpuri," which are sold in many stores, are well known among the younger population, and cricket is a popular sport in the town.
