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.
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