Missile fell near nuclear research center in Negev, Israel bombed Syria in retaliation

A missile launched at Israel from Syria fell on Wednesday near the Shimon Peres Negev nuclear research center in the southern city of Dimona. It was reported by Jerusalem Post.

Immediately, Israel Defense Force fighters, part of the national defense system, attacked with a Patriot missile the location from which the projectile was fired in an unidentified area of ​​Syria. From Damascus, there was no official reaction.

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According to the newspaper, residents of the area said they heard “Strong explosions” In the region.

Alarms sounded in the Abu Qrenat area, near Dimona in the south of the country, as well as in Jerusalem, 75 kilometers to the north.

The missile was initially believed to have been launched from Iran because over the weekend the Iranian press threatened to attack the Dimona facility in retaliation for sabotage against the Natanz nuclear research center in the center of the country. . Tehran attributed this action to Israel, as the newspaper reports The Times of Israel.

The sabotage took place on April 11 at Iran’s underground nuclear facility at Natanz, which ran out of power after new advanced centrifuges were started that could enrich uranium faster.

Other reports mention that the attack was launched against the city of Daraa in southern Syria.

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Military spokesman Brigadier General Hidai Zilberman told reporters the explosion was caused by firing an SA-5 anti-aircraft missile launched at Israel. The projectile exploded in the southern Negev. There were no reports of casualties.

Zilberman said Israel responded to the attack with Patriot missiles, which are part of its defensive system, and struck several anti-aircraft batteries in Syria, including the one that fired the missile that exploded in the south. from Israel.

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The nuclear center

The Negev Nuclear Research Center is located in the city of Dimona and is part of Israel’s atomic program. In 2018, the center was renamed Shimon Peres, in honor of the former Israeli minister who died in 2018.

Its facilities were built in 1958 in the south of this city, which is generally not the target of attacks.

The complex includes a nuclear reactor cooled with heavy water. The Israeli government claims it is using the atomic center to conduct research in nuclear science and energy. Israel denies having nuclear weapons in its possession.