Iran attacks near Israeli nuclear site, fires long-range missiles for first time
Written by: Maayan Lubell, Alexander Cornwell and Idrees Ali
TEL AVIV/JERUSALEM/WASHINGTON, March 21 (Reuters) – Iranian forces fired a long-range missile for the first time, Israeli officials said on Saturday, raising the risk of attacks beyond the Middle East even though dozens of people were injured in Iran’s strike not far from Israel’s nuclear site.
Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir said that Iran launched two ballistic missiles with a range of 4,000 kilometers towards the US-British military base Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. The Israeli military said Iran used a long-range missile for the “first time” in the conflict, marking its first expansion beyond the Middle East since the United States and Israel began attacking Iran on February 28.
Zamir said in his statement, “The purpose of these missiles is not to hit Israel. Their range reaches European capitals; Berlin, Paris and Rome are within direct threat range.” he said.
A source at the UK defense ministry said the attack took place before the government gave special authorization on Friday for the US to use British military bases to launch attacks on Iranian missile sites.
More than 2 thousand people have been killed in Iran since the USA and Israel began their attacks. Since the start of the war in Israel, 15 people have died in Iranian attacks.
Late Saturday, Iranian missiles hit the southern Israeli cities of Dimona and Arad, wounding dozens of people, including children, in separate attacks. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said in a statement early Sunday that they had targeted “military facilities” and security centers in southern Israel.
Israeli army spokesperson Brigadier General Effie Defrin said in her post on the X channel that the country’s air defenses were working but did not prevent the attacks. “We will investigate the incident and learn from it,” he said.
Israel’s secret nuclear reactor is located about 13 kilometers southeast of Dimona. Both cities are located near many military installations, including Nevatim Air Base, one of the largest in the country.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement from his office after the attack on Arad: “This has been a very difficult evening in the fight for our future.”
“We are determined to continue hitting our enemies on all fronts,” the statement said.
TRUMP IS CONSIDERING ‘TERMINATION’
US President Donald Trump announced on Friday that Washington is considering “ending” its military operation against Iran.
Trump said in a social media post that the United States was close to achieving its goals but insisted other countries should take the lead on securing the Strait of Hormuz, a shipping lane whose closure threatens a global energy shock.
“We are getting very close to achieving our goals as we consider halting our major military efforts in the Middle East regarding the Iranian Terrorist Regime,” Trump said in a statement to Truth Social.
Trump and his administration have sent mixed messages about U.S. objectives throughout the war, now in its fourth week, and traditional U.S. allies have struggled to respond.
Trump suggested that the war could end with the elimination of the Iranian threat, and that US Marines and heavy landing ships would set out for the region.
American voters are increasingly concerned about signs that the war could expand. Shocks in energy prices are fueling inflation, hitting consumers and businesses hard; This is a huge political liability for Trump, who is trying to justify the war to the US public ahead of November elections in which he could lose control of Congress.
Trump also accused NATO allies of cowardice for their reluctance to help open the strait. Some allies have said they would consider it, but most say they are reluctant to join a war that Trump started without consulting them.
IRAN NUCLEAR SITE WAS HIT
Iranian media said US-Israeli forces attacked the Shahid Ahmadi-Roshan Natanz enrichment complex on Saturday morning. Technical experts determined that no radioactive leak had occurred and that nearby residents were not at risk. While Israel said that it was unaware of such an attack, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said that the investigation was ongoing.
Iranian media later reported attacks on a passenger terminal in Bushehr’s southern port and an empty cruise ship on nearby Kharg Island. The island, from which Iran exports nearly all of its oil, is seen as a potential target if Washington decides to strike at Iranian energy or use it to seize ground troops.
Iran said it fired drones at US bases in the UAE and Kuwait, which were used to launch attacks on Iranian islands in the Gulf. Saudi Arabia on Saturday ordered Iran’s military attaché and four other Iranian diplomats to leave the country and declared them persona non grata.
Israel also attacked Beirut, saying it was targeting the Iran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah militia, which is part of the deadliest effects of the war on Iran. Hezbollah opened fire on Israel in support of Tehran on March 2.
Israel said its planes attacked ballistic missile production facilities around Tehran. According to Iranian media reports, three members of a family were killed in an attack on a residential building in the city of Ramsar.
EUROPEAN GAS PRICES INCREASED
Natural gas prices rose as much as 35 percent in Europe this week after Israel struck Iran’s largest gas field and Iran responded by attacking its neighbors’ energy infrastructure. The European Union has called on its members to lower gas storage targets and begin gradually replenishing reserves to reduce demand, the Financial Times reported on Saturday.
The Strait of Hormuz, the transit point for nearly one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies, has been effectively closed to most shipping.
India, facing a shortage of cooking gas, was one of the few countries to persuade Iran to allow any of its ships to pass through the strait; Two tankers carrying liquefied petroleum gas departed last week and two more deployed on Friday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told Kyodo news agency that Tehran is ready to allow Japan-bound ships to pass through the strait, which carries about 90% of Japan’s oil imports.
(Reporting by Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali in Washington, Andrew Mills in Doha, Timour Azhari in Riyadh, Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem and Alexander Cornwell in Tel Aviv; Additional reporting by Reuters bureaus; Writing by Tom Hogue and Matthias Williams; Editing by William Mallard, Sergio Non and Diane Craft)
