Regional Tensions Escalate as Iran Launches Ballistic Missiles at Israeli Towns

Iran has launched ballistic missiles targeting the Israeli town of Dimona, home to the Negev Nuclear Research Center, as well as the nearby city of Arad, describing the strikes as a direct response to yesterday’s attack on its Natanz nuclear enrichment facility. The International Atomic Energy Agency says the research centre was not damaged and that no abnormal radiation levels have been detected. However, the impact on the ground has been significant, with more than 130 people reported injured across southern Israel, including in Dimona and ArArad. Israel’s air defences engaged the incoming missiles but failed to stop direct hits on both towns. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has acknowledged the interception failure and says an investigation is underway. Israeli forces have since struck back, hitting what the military described as a research and development facility at Malek Ashtar University in Tehran, which Israel says was used to develop components for nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. Israeli officials say the campaign against Iran will intensify significantly in the days ahead. The crisis is now widening well beyond the Israel-Iran frontline. From Washington, Donald Trump has issued a 48-hour ultimatum, warning he will hit and obliterate Iran’s power plants, beginning with the largest, if the Strait of Hormuz is not fully open and without threat. Iran’s military command fired back, warning that any strike on its energy infrastructure would trigger attacks on all energy, information technology and desalination infrastructure belonging to the US and the regime in the region. In Saudi Arabia, three ballistic missiles were detected over Riyadh. One was intercepted, the other two came down in uninhabited areas. Riyadh then declared Iran’s military attaché and embassy staff personae non gratae, ordering them out of the Kingdom within 24 hours, citing Iranian violations of the 2023 Beijing Agreement, UN Security Council Resolution 2817, and attacks on diplomatic premises on Saudi soil. The situation in Lebanon has escalated into a full-scale regional war, following the collapse of the 2024 Israel-Lebanon ceasefire. The Lebanese Ministry of Health reports that the death toll has surpassed 1,024 people since the current flare-up began on March 2, with over 1 million residents, nearly 20% of the population, now internally displaced. Hezbollah says it has also launched fresh rocket attacks on Israeli troop positions in the north, as Israel presses ahead with ground operations in southern Lebanon.