The Israeli military launched a series of air strikes on Saturday against targets in Iran, reportedly damaging facilities at a secretive military base linked to Tehran’s nuclear weapons program and another site connected to its ballistic missile systems. Satellite images analyzed by the Associated Press show that some of the damaged buildings are within the Parchin military base, where the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has suspected Iran of conducting tests of high explosives that could trigger a nuclear weapon in the past.
Iran has long maintained that its nuclear program is peaceful, although the IAEA, Western intelligence agencies, and other organizations have accused Tehran of having an active weapons program up until 2003. The IAEA has expressed concerns about Iran’s nuclear activities, and the agency’s director general, Rafael Grossi, has said that Iran’s nuclear facilities were not impacted by the Israeli strikes.
The Israeli military stated that its aircraft targeted facilities used by Iran to make missiles fired at Israel, as well as surface-to-air missile sites. US officials said that Israel had informed them before the strikes and that the attacks appeared to have hit only military targets. US President Joe Biden expressed hope that the strikes would mark the end of the escalation, while US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin urged Iran not to respond to the strikes.
Israel Strikes Military Bases in Iran, Damage Visible (Image via Getty)
Iran’s military has not acknowledged damage at either the Parchin or the Khojir military bases, although it has reported that four Iranian soldiers were killed in the strikes. The country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has suggested that Iran is carefully weighing its response to the attack, stopping short of calling for retaliation. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned against further attacks on his country, saying that Iran will continue to defend itself.
The attacks have raised concerns about a wider conflict in the region, with fears of an all-out war pitting Israel and the United States against Iran and its militant proxies. The region is already grappling with multiple conflicts, including the ongoing war in Yemen and the Syrian civil war.
The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, claimed that the strikes had “severely harmed” Iran and achieved all of Israel’s goals. The Israeli military said that the attacks had caused “significant damage” to Iran’s military capabilities, including its ability to produce missiles aimed at Israel. Iran has denied that the strikes caused significant damage, claiming that only “limited damage” was done.
The situation remains tense, with both sides vowing to defend themselves. The Israeli military has stated that it will continue to take action to protect its national security, while Iran has promised to respond to any further attacks. The International Atomic Energy Agency has called on all parties to refrain from any actions that could destabilize the region and jeopardize nuclear non-proliferation efforts.
