Israel recently launched a bold military operation against Iran's nuclear program, named Operation Rising Lion. The initial objective of this operation was to weaken Iran's nuclear weapons capability and prevent the potential threat from spreading globally. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu had repeatedly warned that if iran gets nuclear weapons, it could be devastating not only for israel but also for europe and America. In this context, Operation Rising lion is being seen as Israel's survival strategy.
Attack on Iran's main nuclear sites
Israel has attacked Iran's main nuclear sites. This includes Natanz, which is located in the central plateau of Iran. It is the country's most important uranium enrichment facility. The facility has been the center of international attention several times in the past, most notably due to the Stuxnet virus and the 2021 Israeli cyber attack. But this time, the damage was physical.
Satellite images released by Maxar Technologies show that a large part of the site has been completely destroyed. The United Nations IAEA agency also confirmed this, saying that the site's power supply has suffered extensive damage.
Revealed in satellite images
Iran's Fordow nuclear facility, built under a mountain near the city of Qom, was considered more protected, but satellite images show minor damage here too. Iranian officials have publicly claimed that Fordow did not suffer much damage, but experts believe that the disruption of power supply may have adversely affected its enrichment process.
Israeli attack on Isfahan
The third main site is the uranium conversion facility located in Isfahan. Here the storage depot and the conversion process before enrichment take place. It is not yet clear whether the uranium stored there was attacked or not, but experts believe that if the attack was successful, it would have a major impact on the amount of enrichable material available to Iran.
International response and IAEA warning
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said in a statement confirming the attacks that an attack on any nuclear facility is "dangerous and has serious consequences". Although radioactive leakage has not been detected at any site so far, its environmental and humanitarian consequences cannot be ruled out in the future. Many international organizations and governments, including the european union, the United Nations and the United States, have expressed deep concern over this incident. This development once again brings global nuclear security to the center of debate.
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