The Israeli defense forces reported on Thursday that it had conducted overnight attacks on Iran-linked facilities in Iran, such as the Arak reactor, as tensions between Israel and Iran increased after a hospital bombing attack reportedly committed by militants sponsored by Iran.
In a declaration, Israeli defense authorities explained air attacks had pounded what they termed a nuclear weapons research facility on the outskirts of Natanz and struck central infrastructure at the Arak complex, more recently labeled Khondab by Iran.
As told by the Israelis, the attack involved incapacitating the seal of the reactor core's at Arak, which Israel deems vital for future plutonium manufacture.
Iran's state media said that air defence systems were deployed around the Khondab nuclear facility early on Thursday. Two missiles landed close to the site, although neither direct impact nor building damage was confirmed by Iran.
Officals on Iranian state television stated that precautionary evacuations were carried out before the attacks. They also said that there were no casualties or radiation dangers recorded after the incident. Iran did not verify any damage on the site.
Khondab is home to almost completed heavy-water reactor, originally intended for research. Development of the site was frozen in accordance with the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear agreement. According to that deal, Iran disabled the core of the reactor and filled it with concrete to make it impossible to operate.
Iran subsequently told the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) it plans to start using the reactor again and commence operations in 2026.
Natanz, the other facility noted among the Israeli attacks, is regarded as being at the core of Iran's enrichment for uranium. Israel had earlier attacked Natanz during its own air campaign initiated amidst renewed conflict with Iran.
Heavy-water reactors like the Khondab one are proliferation concerns, as they can generate plutonium, which—similar to enriched uranium—can be utilized in the production of nuclear weapons. Iran has always maintained that its nuclear program is exclusively for peaceful civilian application.
The latest increase comes after a fatal explosion at a hospital, which has been blamed by Israeli officials on Iranian-aligned militant groups. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised retribution after it happened, saying that "those who spill innocent blood will pay a price."
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