by Worthy News Jerusalem Bureau Staff
(Worthy News) – The Israeli Air Force launched a sweeping overnight air campaign across Iran, striking key nuclear and military sites in an effort to cripple what Israel says is Tehran’s advancing nuclear weapons program.
According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), more than 40 Israeli fighter jets took part in the operation, delivering over 100 precision-guided munitions on targets spread across Tehran, Natanz, Arak, and other strategic locations. The strikes marked the most extensive Israeli aerial assault on Iranian soil in decades.
The primary targets included Iran’s inactive heavy water nuclear reactor at Arak–renamed Khondab–and its largest uranium enrichment facility at Natanz. The Arak complex, initiated in 1997 but left incomplete under international pressure, was originally designed to produce weapons-grade plutonium. Israeli officials said the strikes focused on the reactor’s core containment and moderator structures, components critical for reactivating the site for military purposes.
“The attack was carried out against components designed for plutonium production, ensuring the reactor can no longer be used to advance nuclear weapons,” the IDF said in a statement. Israeli intelligence believes Iran deliberately left conversion work at the reactor unfinished to retain nuclear leverage over the West.
At Natanz, which houses Iran’s primary uranium enrichment operations, the IDF said its jets hit specialized equipment used to accelerate enrichment to weapons-grade levels. The site, buried beneath reinforced concrete, had already suffered major damage in Israeli strikes earlier this month. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after the latest raid, “We dealt heavy blows to Iran and disabled the Natanz nuclear facility.”
The air campaign also struck Iranian ballistic missile production plants, air defense batteries, radar sites, and missile storage depots.
Iranian authorities imposed a nationwide internet blackout, citing alleged Israeli use of the network for military operations. The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran reported no casualties and claimed that safety protocols averted any threat to nearby populations.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that Arak was non-operational and contained no nuclear material, reporting no radiological danger from the strikes.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said in an interview on Wednesday, “There were elements for concern, but as to saying they are building and manufacturing a nuclear weapon — no, we didn’t say that.”
The Iranian government has not yet issued an official response, but Iranian media reported air defenses were activated across multiple provinces during the assault.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
More Worthy News
A government ban on major social media platforms that enraged young Nepalis has spiraled into the country’s deadliest political violence in decades, with authorities saying Sunday that at least 72 people have been killed and hundreds more injured during protests reflecting years of frustration over corruption, inequality, and “curbs on freedoms.”
Throughout the Hill Country, crosses, words of Jesus, prayers and messages of hope are written on memorials honoring nearly 150 killed from the catastrophic July 4 flash flood.
The NATO military alliance has begun rolling out its defensive posture on its eastern flank bordering Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine. NATO leaders said the new equipment is aimed at deterring potential Russian aggression after at least 19 Russian drones entered Polish territory and Romania also reported a violation of its airspace.
Israel’s surprise strike on Hamas political leaders in Qatar showcased its growing arsenal of advanced ballistic missiles and its ability to deploy them at long range with precision, according to an exclusive report by the Wall Street Journal.
More than 100,000 people packed into central London on Saturday for what organizers billed as the largest free speech rally in British history. The “Unite the Kingdom” march, spearheaded by activist Tommy Robinson, featured a live video appearance by billionaire Elon Musk and a tribute to slain U.S. conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Christians in Pakistan’s flood-hit Punjab province were among those struggling to survive Thursday, while in Indonesia, at least 19 people were confirmed dead after flash floods struck the tourist island of Bali and other regions as deadly monsoon waters swept across parts of South Asia.
Much of the world is mourning after the assassination of Charlie Kirk, the born-again Christian conservative leader, who inspired his generation and whose widow praised him as a loving husband with a deep faith in Jesus Christ.