At least 47 people were injured Saturday evening after an Iranian missile struck the southern Israeli town of Dimona, known for the dome-shaped structure atop its nuclear centre and nicknamed “Little India,” rescue services said.
Among the injured was a 12-year-old boy in serious condition after being hit by shrapnel, Magen David Adom (MDA) officials and local residents said. A woman in her 30s sustained moderate injuries from glass shards, and 31 others suffered minor shrapnel wounds or were hurt after falling while running to shelters. Fourteen people were treated for acute anxiety at Soroka Hospital in Beersheba.
“A missile fell on a community building, and nearby older houses collapsed under the impact. Most people were in shelters, so they were not badly hurt, except for the young boy who stayed outside,” a local resident said.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said it is investigating why the Iranian ballistic missile was not intercepted. The army said air defences engaged the missile but the interceptors failed to knock it down. “The incident will be investigated,” the IDF said.
The UN nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, called for “maximum military restraint” and said it had seen reports of a missile impact in Dimona but had “not received any indication of damage to the nuclear research center Negev.”
Iran said it targeted Dimona in “response” to an earlier strike on the Natanz nuclear enrichment site; the IDF denied responsibility for the Natanz incident.
Dimona hosts a large Indian-Jewish community, mainly from Maharashtra, giving it the “Little India” nickname. Indian shops are common, Marathi is widely spoken, and the roughly 7,500-strong Indian community makes up about 30 percent of the town’s population. Cricket is popular, and local shops sell Indian snacks such as sonpapdi, gulab jamun, papri chaat and bhelpuri.
