Emergency responders declared a mass casualty incident in the southern Israeli city of Arad on Saturday after a missile launched from Iran wounded more than 88 people, according to Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel’s emergency medical service.
The attack occurred during what officials described as the ninth wave of Iranian missile strikes targeting southern Israel in a 24-hour span. Channel 13 news reported “early indications of multiple fatalities,” though authorities have not yet officially confirmed any deaths.
Among the wounded, ten people suffered serious injuries, including a young girl aged 5. Another 19 victims sustained moderate injuries, while the remainder had minor wounds. Emergency teams deployed helicopters and numerous ambulances to respond to the crisis as rescue efforts remained ongoing.
“Four seriously wounded in two destruction sites, there are people trapped. We requested assistance from the Home Front Command,” MDA Director-General Eli Bin explained to N12 news. The missile impact devastated nine buildings, with some structures completely destroyed and others collapsing from the blast.
The assault on Arad happened two hours following another direct missile hit in the nearby city of Dimona. Israeli Defense Forces officials are examining why their defense systems failed to stop the missiles that reached Arad. Military analysts believe the projectiles contained conventional explosives weighing hundreds of kilograms.
Medical teams evacuated 37 wounded individuals from the blast zone, including four with critical injuries and 12 with moderate wounds. The emergency declaration triggered the deployment of additional resources, with Soroka Medical Center placed on high alert to treat incoming patients. Rescue helicopters landed at the Arad airstrip to help with patient transport.
Emergency medic Yakir Talker described the devastating scene to Channel 12: “This is a very difficult scene. We arrived with large forces of ambulances, intensive care units, and MDA motorcycles, and saw many injured with varying degrees of injuries as a result of a missile strike.”
Talker continued: “We immediately began setting up a casualty concentration point, triaged the injured according to severity, and provided life-saving medical treatment. There is extensive destruction and chaos at the scene. Teams are conducting thorough searches at this time and will continue to operate here as required.”
While rescue operations continued in Arad, Iran fired additional missiles toward northern Israel. Warning sirens activated twice throughout the region, stretching from the Golan Heights to Haifa. Israeli defense systems successfully intercepted all incoming missiles or they fell harmlessly in unpopulated areas.
Earlier Saturday evening, another Iranian missile barrage targeted Dimona and nearby communities, wounding 31 people across 12 impact locations. One building collapsed in that attack, with casualties including a 10-year-old boy and a 40-year-old woman who suffered moderate shrapnel injuries, while other victims sustained minor wounds.
