Iranian missile strikes injure 115 in Israel, officials say, puncturing air defenses and shocking the public

After three weeks of relative insulation from the raging U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, the explosive impact from an Iranian ballistic missile delivered a grim wake-up call in Arad, a desert town in southern Israel.

ARAD, Israel — After three weeks of relatively low Israeli casualties from the raging U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, the explosive impact from an Iranian ballistic missile delivered a grim wake-up call in Arad, a desert town in southern Israel.

“It was a very shocking boom, something that we haven’t heard before,” said David, 39, who gave only his first name. “It was a big miracle here, and thank God there was no killing of people.”

The strike on Saturday sheared the façade off several adjacent apartment blocks and shattered glass for blocks around. No one was killed, but Israel’s emergency services said more than 115 people were injured across the attack and another strike in the nearby town of Dimona.

The missiles startled an Israeli public that has endured comparatively few casualties in recent weeks thanks to the country’s formidable air defenses, frequently tested across many years by rockets from militant groups Hezbollah and Hamas.

Fourteen people have been killed in Israel since the war broke out, compared to at least 1,230 deaths in Iran, according to Red Crescent Society figures last updated on March 6. More than 1,000 people have been killed in Lebanon amid the renewed fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, according to government figures.