WHO chief sounds alarm over strikes targeting nuclear sites

The Middle East war has reached a “perilous stage” with strikes around nuclear sites in Iran and Israel, the World Health Organization warns chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X.

Missiles apparently targeting Israel’s nuclear research center at Dimona hit the nearby city of the same name and the city of Arad Saturday night.

Iran said the strike was in response to an earlier attack on its nuclear site at Natanz, which hosts underground centrifuges used to enrich uranium for Iran’s disputed nuclear program and was damaged in the June 2025 war.

“Attacks targeting nuclear sites create an escalating threat to public health and environmental safety,” says the WHO chief.

“I urgently call on all parties to exercise maximum military restraint and avoid any actions that could trigger nuclear incidents. Leaders must prioritiזe de-escalation and protect civilians,” he says.

Tedros adds that the International Atomic Energy Agency was looking into the strikes, and “no indications of abnormal or increased off-site radiation levels have been reported.”