On March 21, US President Donald Trump threatened to destroy Iranian power plants if Tehran does not fully open the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours.
If Iran does not fully open, without any threats, the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours from this time, the US will attack and destroy its power plants, starting from the largest facility first" - Mr. Trump declared on social media.
The threat was made when the conflict in Iran entered a new dangerous phase.
Israeli officials said that Iranian forces fired long-range missiles for the first time, increasing the risk of attacks outside the Middle East region.
Iran has launched 2 ballistic missiles with a range of 4,000km into the US and British military bases Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, according to General Eyal Zamir, Israeli army commander.
The Israeli military said that this is the first time Iran has used long-range missiles since the US and Israel began attacking Iran on February 28.
These missiles are not aimed at attacking Israel. Their range reaches European capitals - Berlin, Paris and Rome are all within direct threat scope" - Mr. Zamir said.
A source from the British Ministry of Defense said that the attack occurred before the British government allowed the US to use British military bases on March 13 to carry out attacks on Iranian missile launch sites.
More than 2,000 people have been killed in Iran since the US and Israel launched attacks. In Israel, 15 people have died in Iranian attacks since the conflict broke out.
In the late afternoon of March 21, Iranian missiles attacked the cities of Dimona and Arad in southern Israel, injuring dozens of people.
On the morning of March 22, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced that it had targeted "military facilities" and security centers in southern Israel.
Israeli military spokesman Effie Defrin said that Israel's air defense system is still operating but cannot intercept attacks. "We will investigate the incident and learn from it," he said.
Israel's secret nuclear reactor is located about 13km southeast of Dimona. Both cities are located near several military sites, including the Nevatim airbase, one of the largest bases in the country.
