Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that a target associated with Iran’s nuclear ambitions was struck in Thursday night’s operation.
Netanyahu asserted that Iran possesses enough enriched uranium to create nine nuclear weapons, emphasizing recent steps by Iran to weaponize this material. He warned that without intervention, Iran could rapidly develop a nuclear weapon.
The Natanz Nuclear Facility, a key Iranian nuclear site capable of producing sufficient weapons-grade uranium for 11 nuclear weapons within a month in conjunction with the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, was reportedly targeted in the strikes. The full extent of the damage is currently unknown.
Netanyahu declared the strikes targeted the core of Iran’s nuclear enrichment and weaponization programs, specifically mentioning the main enrichment facility in Natanz.
He also stated that the operation targeted leading Iranian nuclear scientists involved in the country’s nuclear weapons program.
The Natanz Nuclear Facility was previously damaged in a 2020 explosion. Earlier this year, the Institute for Science and International Security reported that satellite imagery indicated Iran had begun constructing new structures, potentially underground, to enhance the security and concealment of its nuclear program.
It remains unclear whether any of these underground structures were impacted in the recent strikes.
Netanyahu vowed to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and supplying them to terrorist proxies, warning of the potential for nuclear terrorism.
He also cautioned that Iran’s expanding ballistic missile range could bring the threat of nuclear weapons to Europe and eventually the United States.
A report by The New York Times indicated that a complex was also hit during the overnight strikes, although corroboration is pending.
The extent of the damage remains undetermined. In November, reports indicated substantial damage to the Parchin military complex, which allegedly housed a nuclear weapons research facility.
Additionally, reports suggest that five military bases surrounding Tehran were also targeted in the strikes.
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