Iran strikes towns near Israel's Dimona nuclear facility with ballistic missiles, wounding 180 in nuclear tit-for-tat

Hours after the US struck Natanz on March 21, 2026, Iran launched ballistic missiles targeting Dimona and the nearby city of Arad in southern Israel — home to Israel's Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center — in an explicit tit-for-tat response. At least 180 people were wounded, and two direct missile hits penetrated Israel's defense systems in a region not previously struck. The IAEA stated it detected no radiological release from the Negev Nuclear Research Center, but the strikes marked the first time Iran had targeted the area near Israel's nuclear facility, dramatically escalating the conflict's nuclear dimension.