47 injured as Iranian missile hits Israel's Dimona, home to its nuclear reactor and known as 'Little India'

Jerusalem: At least 47 people were injured on Saturday evening after an Iranian missile struck the southern Israeli town of Dimona -- famous for the dome-shaped structure atop its nuclear centre and popularly known as "little India", rescue services said.

Among the injured was a 12-year-old boy in serious condition after being hit by shrapnel, officials from the Magen David Adom (MDA) rescue services and local residents told PTI.

A woman in her 30s was moderately hurt by glass shards, and 31 others suffered minor injuries from shrapnel or were hurt after falling over while running to shelters, they said. Some 14 others were treated for acute anxiety at Soroka Hospital in Beersheba.

"The missile fell on a community building, and nearby older houses collapsed under the impact. Most of the people were in shelters, so they were not hurt badly, except for the young boy who stayed outside," a local resident told PTI.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said it is investigating the failure to intercept the Iranian ballistic missile. The Israeli army said the air defences engaged the ballistic missile, but the interceptors failed to knock it down.

“The incident will be investigated,” it said.

UN nuclear watchdog IAEA issued a call for “maximum military restraint” after the attack.

“The IAEA is aware of reports of an incident in the city of Dimona, Israel, involving a missile impact and has not received any indication of damage to the nuclear research center Negev,” the IAEA said in a post on X.

Iran said it is targeting Dimona as a “response” to an earlier strike on the Natanz nuclear enrichment site. The IDF, however, said it was not responsible for striking Natanz earlier in the day.

Dimona has a large Indian-Jewish population, and the community members, mostly from the state of Maharashtra, maintain strong links with India and have consistently put efforts to solidify them. This has earned the town the nickname of "Little India".

Indian shops are spread across the town, and Marathi can be heard everywhere, with 7,500 strong Indian community making up for some 30 per cent of the town's population. Cricket is popular in the town, and the younger generation is very familiar with local Indian snacks like 'sonpapdi,' 'gulab jamun,' 'papri chaat,' 'bhelpuri,' which several shops sell.