Iran’s Parliament Speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf.
| Photo Credit: IRINN via Reuters

Iran’s ballistic capabilities put Israel within striking distance, and after Israel’s unprecedented attacks that sparked the war in June, Tehran responded with waves of missiles and drones launched at Israeli cities. Representational image.
| Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

In late October, Israel launched an attack on Iran’s Parchin military complex, an active top secret nuclear weapons lab, specifically targeting the Taleghan 2 facility, a site previously believed to be inactive.

This bold move has significantly damaged Iran’s efforts to revive its nuclear weapons research, which had been secretly ongoing since last year. The strike destroyed sophisticated equipment used to design plastic explosives that surround uranium in a nuclear device, a crucial component for detonation.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi vehemently denies the country’s pursuit of nuclear weapons, stating, “Iran is not after nuclear weapons, period.” However, Israeli and US officials reveal a different story.

According to a report by Axios, The Taleghan 2 facility was once part of Iran’s Amad nuclear weapons program, halted in 2003, but recent activity suggested a resurgence of nuclear ambitions. High-resolution satellite imagery confirms the complete destruction of the Taleghan 2 building.

The Israeli strike was preceded by warnings from the White House to Iran about suspicious research activities detected by Israeli and US intelligence. These warnings fell on deaf ears, prompting concerns “across the board” about Iran’s intentions. The US Director of National Intelligence (DNI) even reassessed Iran’s nuclear program in light of these findings.

Implications of the Israeli strike

The incoming Trump administration’s hawkish stance on Iran may lead to heightened tensions and stricter sanctions.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) board of governors is expected to vote on a censure resolution against Iran for its lack of cooperation.

Iran’s secret nuclear activities at Taleghan 2, not part of its declared program, raise questions about its commitment to the treaty.

The strike may escalate tensions between Israel and Iran, potentially destabilising West Asia.

As the IAEA meets to discuss Iran’s cooperation, the international community watches with bated breath. Will Iran limit its cooperation with the IAEA, or will it negotiate with European powers on its peaceful nuclear program? The aftermath of the Israeli strike has opened a Pandora’s box, and the world awaits Iran’s next move.

This satellite photo from Planet Labs PBC shows a damaged building at the Revolutionary Guard’s Shahroud Space Center in Semnan province, Iran, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

Iran said on Wednesday (October 30, 2024) that its production of missiles remained intact, following Israeli air strikes targeting military facilities last week.

“There has been no interruption in the process of producing offensive systems such as missiles,” Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh told reporters.

Also Read: Satellite photos show Israel hit Iran former nuclear weapons test building, missile facilities

“The enemy tried to damage both our defensive and offensive systems,” he added.

Israel launched strikes on military sites in Iran on Saturday, citing Tehran’s October 1 missile attack that followed the killing of Iran-backed militant leaders and a Revolutionary Guards commander.

Also Read: What’s next for Israel and Iran?

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said later that the strikes “hit Iran’s defence capabilities and missile production”.

Iran’s armed forces said the attack killed four soldiers and caused “limited damage” to a few radar systems. Iranian media said a civilian was also killed.

Israel has warned Iran against retaliating, while Tehran, asserting it does not seek war, vowed an “appropriate response”.

Western governments have long criticised Iran’s missile programme which has come under severe sanctions in recent years.

In September, the European Union imposed sanctions on prominent Iranian officials and entities over their alleged involvement in transferring missiles and drones to Russia to use in its war against Ukraine. Tehran has repeatedly denied the accusations.

Dubai:

Iranian officials should determine how best to demonstrate Iran’s power to Israel after the Israeli attack on Iran two nights ago, Iran’s official IRNA news agency cited the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as saying on Sunday.

“The evil committed by the Zionist regime (Israel) two nights ago should neither be downplayed nor exaggerated”, IRNA cited Khamenei as saying.

Iran on Saturday played down Israel’s overnight air attack against Iranian military targets, saying it caused only limited damage, as US President Joe Biden called for a halt to escalation that has raised fears of an all-out conflagration in the Middle East.

Scores of Israeli jets completed three waves of strikes before dawn against missile factories and other sites near Tehran and in western Iran, Israel’s military said.

Khamenei said Iran’s power should be demonstrated to Israel, adding that the way to do so should be “determined by the officials and that which is in the best interest of the people and the country should take place”.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Hamas called Israel’s strikes a “blatant violation of Iranian sovereignty”.

Paris, France:

From hitjobs to sabotages and cyberattacks, Israel has either been blamed for or has itself claimed a variety of attacks against Iran.

In Israel’s sights are Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Tehran’s nuclear programme.

As Israel launched a series of air strikes Saturday, which it said were aimed at Iran’s military infrastructure, AFP looks at the other attempts over the years.

Revolutionary Guard

Israel has been blamed for targeting top members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, mostly in attempts outside their country’s borders.

Latest victims include a general killed on September 27 by the side of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli strike in the suburbs of Beirut. 

An air strike blamed on Israel on Iran’s consular annex building in Damascus on April 1, 2024 killed, according to Tehran, seven members of the Revolutionary Guards, including two of top rank.

The recent killings are only the latest in a long list.

In December 2023, a commander died in Syria in an attack blamed on Israel, a year after a colonel was killed, also in Syria. 

In May 2022, Sayyad Khodaei, a member of the Quds Force, the unit in charge of the Guards’ external operations, was gunned down by two motorcyclists on his way home in Tehran. According to the New York Times, Israel told the United States that it was responsible for the hitjob. 

General Hassan Moghadam, responsible for armament programmes, was killed in an explosion at a munitions depot in November 2011 close to Tehran, in an operation blamed on the United States and Israel.

Iran’s nuclear programme

Israel has also been accused of carrying out targeted assassinations against several high-ranking Iranian physicists, often linked to Tehran’s nuclear programme.

Among them are nuclear physicist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, killed in November 2020 and presented after his death as a vice minister of defence. 

Scientist Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, who was working on the Natanz nuclear site, and Majid Shahriari, the founder of Iran’s nuclear society, as well as particle physics professor Massoud Ali Mohammadi were others killed over the years.

Israel has also been accused of sabotaging Iranian nuclear installations, mainly the Natanz complex to the south of Tehran.

On April 11, 2021, the site saw a small explosion, according to Iran’s atomic energy agency.

The New York Times reported that Israel played a part in the “strong blast” that apparently took out the internal electric system supplying uranium enrichment centrifuges.

Another “accident” also hit Natanz in July 2020, in what Iran’s atomic agency had said was a “sabotage”.

In September 2010, a cyberattack using the Stuxnet virus took out the enrichment centrifuges at Natanz. 

Iran accused Israel and the United States, while information security experts also pointed the finger at Washington. 

Iran’s allies

Iran’s allies too have found that Tehran is not always safe shelter.

Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh was killed on July 31 in Iran’s capital in an attack blamed on Israel. He was in Tehran to attend the inauguration ceremony of Iran’s new president Masoud Pezeshkian.

Iranian petrol

In March 2021, the Wall Street Journal, citing US and Middle East officials, reported that Israel had in 2019 targeted at least a dozen vessels travelling to Syria and in most cases, transporting Iranian petrol.

The report said Israel had deployed underwater mines in the assault.

Through 2021, Israel and Iran accused each other of naval sabotages.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Jerusalem:

Israel hit back at Iran early on Saturday, with its military saying it was conducting strikes against military targets in response to Tehran’s attacks on Israel.

The Middle East has been on edge in anticipation of Israeli retaliation for a ballistic-missile barrage carried out by Iran on Oct. 1, in which around 200 ballistic missiles were fired at Israel, Iran’s second direct attack on Israel in six months.

“In response to months of continuous attacks from the regime in Iran against the State of Israel – right now the Israel Defense Forces is conducting precise strikes on military targets in Iran,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.

Israel says it has the right and duty to respond to attacks from Tehran and its proxies, which have included missile strikes launched from Iranian soil.

“Our defensive and offensive capabilities are fully mobilized,” it added.

The scope of the attack was not immediately clear.

Iran’s state TV said several strong explosions were heard around the capital Tehran. Semi-official Iranian media said explosions were also heard in the nearby city of Karaj.

The Tasnim news agency said that “nothing has been reported about hearing the sound of rockets or airplanes in the sky of Tehran so far”.

State TV cited unnamed Iranian intelligence officials as saying that the origin of the loud explosions “could be from the activation of Iran’s air defense system.”

Iranian authorities have repeatedly warned Israel against launching an attack, saying any strike on Iran would be met with a stronger retaliation.

The United States was notified by Israel ahead of its strikes on targets in Iran but was not involved in the operation, a U.S. official told Reuters.

“We understand that Israel is conducting targeted strikes against military targets in Iran as an exercise of self-defense and in response to Iran’s ballistic missile attack against Israel on October 1st,” said White House National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett.

Washington is seeking to head off further widening of the conflict. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday that Israel’s retaliation should not lead to greater escalation.

Syrian state TV said explosions were also heard in the Damascus countryside and central region.

Israel’s defense minister said this week that enemies would “pay a heavy price” for trying to harm Israel.

In the past few weeks Israel has intensified its offensive against Palestinian militants Hamas in Gaza and its Iran-backed ally Hezbollah in Lebanon. The war was triggered a year ago by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

File picture of Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant
| Photo Credit: AP

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant told Air Force crews on Wednesday that after striking in Iran, the world will understand Israel’s might and its enemies will learn a lesson, according to a video and an X post published by his office.

Israel has been planning a response to a ballistic-missile barrage carried out by Iran on October 1, Tehran’s second direct attack on Israel in six months.

“After we attack in Iran, they will understand in Israel and elsewhere what your preparations have included,” Gallant told the crews in the video, which his office said was filmed at Hatzerim Air Base.

On X, Mr. Gallant added: “In my conversation with them I emphasised — after we attack Iran, everyone will understand your might, the process of preparation and training — any enemy that tries to harm the State of Israel will pay a heavy price.”

The Middle East has been on edge in anticipation of the Israeli retaliation for Iran’s attack in which around 200 ballistic missiles were fired at Israel.

In the past few weeks Israel has intensified its offensive against Palestinian militants Hamas in Gaza and its Iran-backed ally Hezbollah in Lebanon. The war was triggered a year ago by Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel.

Washington is seeking to head off further widening of the conflict. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday that Israel’s retaliation should not lead to greater escalation.

Tel Aviv:

The Israeli intelligence community believes Iran has decided to attack Israel directly and may do so within days, Axios reporter Barak Ravid said on Sunday, citing two sources.

The attack would be in retaliation for the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in late July, Ravid added. Israel has not claimed or denied responsibility for the killing.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)