by Tobias Siegal, Goldie Katz, Corinne Baum
Magen David Adom paramedics were earlier dispatched to a scene in northern Israel to treat five individuals for mild, shrapnel-related injuries.
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A building in Dimona collapsed as a result of an impact from an Iranian munition on Saturday evening after sirens sounded in southern and northern Israel.
Israeli media reported that the shrapnel potentially hit a school in the southern Israeli city.
כדור אש יורד מהשמיים: תיעוד הפגיעה בדימונה@Itsik_zuarets pic.twitter.com/8R1G7lmDVW
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) March 21, 2026
Magen David Adom teams are treating some 20 people with mild injuries from shrapnel at various locations in Dimona. Notably, a 10-year-old child is in moderate condition.
Israel Police and Border Guard officers were dispatched to conduct scans for shrapnel that reportedly fell in the Negev region and the western Galilee area after the IDF intercepted the missiles.
Earlier, MDA paramedics were dispatched to a scene in northern Israel to treat five individuals for mild, shrapnel-related injuries.
Footage circulated from Israeli media showed impacted buildings, and reported that at least three people were injured in Ma'alot.
בעקבות ירי מלבנון: שלושה פצועים קל מנפילת שברי יירוט במעלות | תיעוד מהזירה@rubih67 pic.twitter.com/n8pl8Xmucg
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) March 21, 2026
Rishon Lezion kindergarten damaged
Earlier on Saturday, a kindergarten in Rishon Lezion was reportedly damaged after a suspected cluster missile launched from Iran targeted the Gush Dan area in central Israel.
Initial reports suggest that shrapnel caused significant damage tothe structure, with no direct missile impact reported. MDA said a man in his 70s was lightly injured while making his way to a shelter. The Shamir Medical Center said a man in his 40's was treated for mild injuries sustained from a blast in Rishon Lezion.
The missile is believed to have weighed around 100 kilograms, according to Hebrew media, though this has not been officially confirmed. The incident appears to be another example of a splitting warhead, which has been used in previous missile strikes on central Israel.
Initial reports suggested over 20 impact sites across central Israel, including in Rishon Lezion, Bnei Brak, Shoham, and Rosh Ha'ayin. MDA later confirmed at least seven impact sites in Rishon Lezion, including damage to two residential buildings.
The IDF said Home Front Command search and rescue forces were operating at several impact sites and urged the public to avoid gathering in these areas.
In a missile barrage launched from Lebanon targeting northern Israel early Saturday afternoon, a residential building in Metula was damaged. No injuries were reported.
Sirens sounded across northern Israel on Saturday afternoon amid reports that several drones had entered Israeli territory from Lebanon. The IDF said it was working to intercept the threats. No injuries were reported.
“The strength of the home front is what allows us to keep going"
Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Saturday that Israel would continue its campaign against Iran for as long as necessary, stressing that the operation would not be halted by the upcoming Passover holiday.
Talking to reporters at a missile impact site in Rishon Lezion, Katz said Israel’s ability to press ahead depends in large part on the resilience of the civilian home front, and said the fighting would continue until its objectives are met.
“The strength of the home front is what allows us to keep going, and we will continue until the objectives are achieved,” he said.
Katz said 11 impact sites had been identified in the city, and accused Iran of using weapons that amount to a war crime. Katz added that such conduct was consistent with what he described as the behavior of a terror regime.
Education system in Rishon Lezion to remain closed, mayor says
“We will restore everything to its original state,” Rishon Lezion Mayor Raz Kinstlich said while visiting the site of the struck kindergarten on Saturday morning.
“The windows were blown out, with some landing on the other side of the street,” he said. “This is a kindergarten, a place where children were supposed to learn,” he continued, emphasizing that, fortunately, the children were not at the kindergarten during the strike, as schools are closed on Shabbat.
"There’s a hole in the ceiling. You can see it outside. Until I feel secure, the education system in Rishon Lezion will not return. I want to thank the residents for their discipline.”
Cluster bombs challenge Israel's missile defense shield
Iran has launched dozens of missiles with cluster munition warheads at Israel since the beginning of Operation Roaring Lion, posing a challenge for Israel's missile defense shield, as they need to be hit before they split and disperse into smaller explosives.
Cluster munitions open in mid-air and scatter as many as several hundred "bomblets" over a wide area. They often fail to explode, creating virtual minefields that can kill or injure anyone who finds them later.
Shrapnel hits Jerusalem's Old City
On Friday, sirens rang across the country as Iran launched a missile barrage targeting large areas in central Israel and the Jerusalem area. Shrapnel fell in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City and Rehovot, causing damage but no major injuries. MDA reported that an elderly woman was injured while running to the shelter, and another elderly man was treated for minor injuries in Rehovot.
Later, a second barrage hit Rehovot, injuring a woman and starting a fire in a building. Two others were treated for shrapnel injuries, and several others for panic-related causes. Shrapnel also fell in the Judean Foothills, with two people lightly injured.
In Haifa, shrapnel caused damage at the Bazan oil refinery, prompting controlled explosions over the weekend.
On Thursday night, additional missile strikes caused shrapnel damage in Jerusalem and northern Israel, but no casualties were reported.
Reuters and James Genn contributed to this report.
Tobias Siegal, Goldie Katz, Corinne Baum
Source: https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-890699
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