IDF strikes Arak nuclear reactor, dozens of sites across Iran
Israeli Air Force fighter jets struck weapons manufacturing facilities, centrifuge production sites and research and development centers, according to the IDF.
Un caza israelí que participa en los ataques a Irán.
Forty Israeli Air Force fighter jets overnight Wednesday struck dozens of nuclear and military targets in Tehran and other locations across Iran, including the reactor near Arak, according to the Israeli military.
The reactor strike specifically targeted the core seal structure—a key element in plutonium production, said the Israel Defense Forces.
Construction of the reactor began in 1997 but was halted due to international pressure. Originally designed to produce weapons-grade plutonium, Iran later agreed to convert it for the production of low-grade plutonium unsuitable for nuclear weapons. However, the regime reportedly chose not to complete the conversion—retaining the reactor’s potential for weapons use as leverage against Western powers.
The IAF strike aimed to destroy components essential for plutonium production, thereby preventing the reactor’s use for nuclear weapons development, according to the military.
In a separate strike, the IAF targeted a nuclear weapons development site near Natanz. The facility housed specialized equipment and hosted projects intended to accelerate Iran’s nuclear program, the IDF said.
Israeli aircraft also neutralized air defense batteries, surface-to-surface missile storage facilities, radar detection systems, and other surveillance equipment operated by the Iranian regime.
Earlier on Wednesday, the IDF carried out a series of strikes in Tehran, targeting more than 20 sites, including facilities linked to Iran’s nuclear weapons development and missile production programs.
Sixty IAF fighter jets, guided by the IDF Intelligence Directorate, struck the targets in and around the Iranian capital, the IDF said.
As part of a broader operation targeting Iran’s nuclear weapons development program, IAF jets struck weapons manufacturing facilities, centrifuge production sites and research and development centers associated with the regime’s nuclear efforts.
These sites were intended to support the expansion of Iran’s uranium enrichment capacity and accelerate its progress toward developing nuclear weapons, according to the military.
“The aim of the operation is 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. We have additional targets, and we are determined to achieve them,” said IDF Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin.
For years, the IDF Intelligence Directorate has gathered intelligence on the regime’s production infrastructure, dispersed across Iran’s vast territory.
As part of the latest wave of strikes, Israeli forces targeted factories producing raw materials and components for missile assembly, as well as facilities involved in the development of Iran’s air defense systems.
Overnight Wednesday IAF jets also struck a site used for the production of anti-tank missiles. The missiles were manufactured in Iran and transferred by the regime to its proxies across the region, intended for use in terrorist attacks against Israel, the military said.
In recent years, hundreds of Iranian-made missiles have been supplied to Hezbollah. Since Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, the Lebanon-based terror group has launched hundreds of anti-tank missiles at Israeli targets, resulting in numerous civilian and military casualties.
The Iranian regime has armed terrorist organizations surrounding the State of Israel, including Hezbollah, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza and Judea and Samaria and the Houthi terrorist regime in Yemen.
“After significantly weakening the regime’s proxies over the past 20 months, we are now dismantling [Iran’s] own core capabilities,” said Defrin.
According to Defrin, despite recent successes, the Iranian regime continues to retain significant capabilities. Although the number of launches has decreased, he emphasized that maintaining a high level of alertness remains critical.
He added that the Home Front Command is conducting regular situational assessments, with the goal of prioritizing civilian protection while easing daily life as much as possible amid ongoing hostilities.
Defrin delivered a clear message to Tehran and its proxies: “If you attempt to rebuild your terror capabilities in the region, you will be struck,” he said. “We launched this operation to remove an existential threat. We will act as long as necessary to accomplish the mission, as defined by the political level.”
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