- Israeli Air Force struck Iranian nuclear and missile sites with 40 fighter jets overnight
- Over 100 precision munitions targeted facilities including Arak reactor and Natanz site
- Arak heavy water reactor was hit but was under construction and not operational, says IAEA
The Israeli Air Force (IAF) launched a series of airstrikes deep inside Iranian territory overnight on Wednesday, targeting nuclear infrastructure, missile production sites, and air defence systems.
According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), a total of 40 fighter aircraft were deployed in the operation. These aircraft dropped more than 100 precision-guided munitions on dozens of Iranian facilities, including the Arak heavy water reactor and a facility associated with nuclear weapons development near Natanz. Strikes were also reported in Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz, and Kermanshah.
The Arak Facility
Israel struck Iran's IR-40 heavy water reactor near the city of Arak. Located approximately 280 kilometres southwest of Tehran in Khondab, the facility has long been a focus of international scrutiny due to its plutonium production potential.
In a statement issued Thursday morning, the IDF said, "This nuclear reactor in Arak was created for one purpose: to build a nuclear bomb. It has now been neutralised."
Though the Arak reactor is not operational, its construction, first initiated in 1997, was partially completed. Under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran agreed to redesign the facility so it could no longer produce weapons-grade plutonium. Israel claims that Iran did not fully implement the agreed modifications.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which monitors Iran's nuclear program, confirmed the site had been hit. It added that the Khondab reactor, as it is formally known, was under construction and not yet operational.
"IAEA has information the Khondab (former Arak) heavy water research reactor, under construction, was hit. It was not operational and contained no nuclear material, so no radiological effects.
At present, IAEA has no information indicating the Khondab heavy water plant was hit," the IAEA said in a statement.
Iranian state television downplayed the strike, stating there was "no radiation danger whatsoever."
Parallel Strike On Natanz
Simultaneously, Israeli aircraft carried out a separate strike near Natanz, a city long associated with uranium enrichment. According to the IDF, the facility housed "unique components and equipment used for the development of nuclear weapons, and hosts projects that enable the acceleration of the nuclear weapons program."
This is not the first time Israel has struck in or around Natanz. Previous attacks have targeted enrichment halls and centrifuge assembly plants. In April 2021, a suspected Israeli cyberattack disabled large portions of Iran's enrichment infrastructure.
Operation Rising Lion
The current Israeli offensive has been dubbed "Operation Rising Lion." Senior Israeli military leader Brigadier General Effie Defrin, the IDF's chief spokesperson, said on Thursday that the goal was "to eliminate the existential threat to the State of Israel, significantly damage Iran's nuclear program in all its components, and severely impact its missile array."
He added that additional targets had been identified and that operations would continue "as long as necessary."
Among the facilities destroyed overnight, according to the IDF, was a plant manufacturing anti-tank missiles that had been shipped to Hezbollah in Lebanon. These same types of weapons have been used repeatedly in cross-border attacks since the war in Gaza reignited in October 2023.
Iran's official response to the latest strikes has remained limited. No official casualty numbers have been released. State media has maintained that key infrastructure was not significantly damaged.
