‘Never seen anything like this’: Iranian missiles sow panic, destruction in Israeli towns

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Arad, Israel - Sheltering from an Iranian missile attack on his town in southern Israel on March 21, 17-year-old Ido Franky heard “terrifying” blasts like nothing he had experienced before.

An Iranian missile hit Franky’s town of Arad, hours after another struck Dimona – home to a nuclear facility – wounding dozens and leaving entire apartment blocks with heavy damage.

Franky rushed to shelter with his family as air raid sirens sounded, warning of an incoming attack.

“There was a ‘boom, boom!’, my mother was screaming,” he said near the impact site, where an AFP correspondent saw three damaged buildings and firefighters reported a blaze.

“This was terrifying... this town had never seen anything like this,” the teenager told AFP.

Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency medical service said 84 wounded people were taken to hospitals from the Arad scene, including 10 in serious condition.

In the early hours of March 22, dozens of people were still at the site, taking photos or calling friends and family to share details of the destruction, even as police warned residents on loudspeakers not to approach.

Security forces patrolled the streets with flashlights while rescuers searched the rubble to ensure all casualties had been recovered.

A crater around of around 5m was left amid the bombed-out buildings.

Police spokesman Dean Elsdunne told AFP that “the operation will take a few hours” before the authorities can clear the scene and ensure all residents are accounted for.

Failed interception

An earlier missile attack hit the town of Dimona, about 25km south-west of Arad.

Dimona hosts a facility widely believed to possess the Middle East’s sole nuclear arsenal, although Israel has never confirmed possessing nuclear weapons.

Israel has maintained a policy of ambiguity about its nuclear programme, and the plant officially focuses on research.

The missile fell about 5km away from the facility, leaving about 30 people wounded according to rescuers.

Online videos showed the missile engulfed in a ball of fire, crashing into the ground.

AFP footage showed heavy damage to an apartment building, next to a crater formed in the ground. Two structures have collapsed with debris including concrete blocks littering the area.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was “a very difficult evening in the battle for our future”.

“We are determined to continue striking our enemies on all fronts,” Mr Netanyahu told Arad’s mayor, according to a statement from the prime minister’s office.

Military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin wrote on X that “air defence systems operated but did not intercept the missile, we will investigate the incident”.

Israeli media has shared footage from Arad and Dimona, capturing scenes that have replayed across the country in attacks since the war began on Feb 28 with US-Israeli air raids on Iran.

In security camera footage aired by Israeli networks, people could be seen being thrown to the ground by the force of the blast as glass windows shatter.

Iranian missile attacks since the start of the war have killed 15 people in Israel as well as four Palestinian women in the occupied West Bank.

While not the deadliest, the March 21 hits on Dimona and Arad were among the Iranian attacks to have inflicted the greatest damage in Israel.

The launches came even as the United States and Israel keep pounding targets across Iran and say they have degraded the Islamic republic’s capabilities. AFP