A missile launched from Syria struck southern Israel early Thursday, setting off air-raid sirens near the country’s top-secret nuclear reactor, the Israeli military said. In response, it said it attacked the missile launcher and air defense systems in neighboring Syria.
The incident, which marked the most serious violence between Israel and Syria in years, pointed to likely Iranian involvement. Iran, which maintains troops and proxies in Syria, has accused Israel of a series of attacks on its nuclear facilities, including sabotage at its Natanz nuclear facility on April 11, and has vowed revenge. It also threatened to complicate US-led efforts to revive the international nuclear deal with Iran.
The Israeli military said the missile had landed in the Negev region and air raid sirens sounded in Abu Krinat, a village just a few kilometers (miles) from Dimona, where Israel’s nuclear reactor is located, and explosions were reported in all Israel. The military later said the incoming missile had caused no damage.
The Israeli military initially described the fired weapon as a surface-to-air missile, usually used for air defense against warplanes or other missiles. That could indicate that the Syrian missile aimed at Israeli fighter jets, but missed and flew flawlessly. However, Dimona is some 300 kilometers (185 miles) south of Damascus, a long distance for a misfired surface-to-air missile.
The state-run SANA news agency said four soldiers were injured in an Israeli attack near Damascus, which also caused some damage. The agency did nothing but claim that its air defense intercepted “most of the enemy missiles” it said had been fired from the Golan Heights annexed by Israel.
There was no immediate claim to responsibility for the missile strike or comment from Iran. But on Saturday, Iranian newspaper Kayhan published an op-ed by Iranian analyst Sadollah Zarei suggesting that Israel’s Dimona facility would be targeted after the attack on Natanz. Zarei cited the idea of ”an eye for an eye” in his comments.
Action must be taken “against the nuclear facility in Dimona,” he wrote. “This is because no other action is on the same level as the Natanz incident.”
The Dimona reactor is generally believed to be the centerpiece of an undeclared nuclear weapons program. Israel neither affirms nor denies having a nuclear arsenal.
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Although Kayhan is a limited edition, its editor-in-chief, Hossein Shariatmadari, was appointed by supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and described in the past as an adviser to him.
Zarei has demanded retaliation against Israel in the past. In November, he suggested that Iran attack the Israeli port city of Haifa over Israel’s alleged involvement in the murder of a scientist who founded Iran’s military nuclear program decades earlier. However, Iran did not retaliate then.
Israel and Iran are arch enemies. Israel has accused Iran of developing nuclear weapons and has opposed US-led attempts to revive the international nuclear deal with Iran. With Israel’s encouragement, then-President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018.
Iran has recently begun to enrich a small amount of uranium to a purity of 60%, the highest level ever for its program that comes even closer to the level of weapons quality. Iran, however, maintains that its program is for peaceful purposes. It has also called for more international investigation of the Dimona facility.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly said that Israel will not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapons capability, and defense officials have acknowledged preparing possible attack missions against Iranian targets. Israel has twice bombed other countries in the Middle East to target their nuclear programs.
All incidents come as Iran negotiates with world powers in Vienna over the US who may re-enter its torn nuclear deal with world powers. Negotiators there have described the talks as constructive so far, though they acknowledge that Natanz’s sabotage could weigh on the talks.
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The Israeli government says the deal will not stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapons capacity. It also says it does not address Iran’s long-range missile program and its support for hostile proxies in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza.