Iran launches retaliatory strikes on Israeli nuclear facility

TEHRAN -- An Iranian international affairs expert said on Saturday that Iran attacked the nuclear site in the southern Israeli city of Dimona earlier in the day in response to an Israeli strike on Iran's Natanz atomic facility.

Morteza Simiari made the remarks in a live interview with state-run IRIB TV while elaborating on Iran's retaliatory missile attack on the Israeli city.

He noted that the attack was carried out less than 24 hours after Israel "insanely" struck the Natanz facility in the central province of Isfahan.

Simiari said that Iran's new "eye for an eye" strategy entails delivering reciprocal responses, but with greater intensity, to any military actions taken by Israel. According to Israeli medical officials, more than 30 people were injured in Iran's missile strike on Dimona.

Meanwhile, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said there was no indication of damage to Israel's nuclear research center - Negev following a missile attack on Dimona.

"Information from regional states indicates that no abnormal radiation levels have been detected," the IAEA said on social media on Saturday evening.

Rafael Grossi, director general of the IAEA, has been closely monitoring the situation and stressed that "maximum military restraint should be observed, in particular in the vicinity of nuclear facilities."

On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded by launching waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and US bases and assets in the Middle East.