In a significant escalation, Israel has launched a pre-emptive military operation, Operation Rising Lion, targeting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, including its key uranium enrichment plant at Natanz.
Israeli warplanes and possibly drones carried out pre-dawn strikes across Iran, hitting Natanz, located approximately 220–250 km south of Tehran in Isfahan province. Home to thousands of centrifuges and featuring a deeply buried underground Fuel Enrichment Plant, Natanz is Iran’s principal enrichment center and was central to the 2015 nuclear accord.
Targets and damage in Iran
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that Israel struck "at the heart" of Iran’s nuclear enrichment and weaponisation program, targeting enrichment facilities at Natanz, nuclear scientists, and ballistic missile infrastructure.
Satellite and open-source imagery, along with brief Iranian TV footage, showed fires near the above-ground plant, though the deeper underground sections may have sustained limited damage.
A look at the Natanz’s strategic importance:
Natanz is Iran’s main uranium enrichment hub, with thousands of centrifuges able to produce both nuclear fuel and weapons-grade material. The underground plant, shielded by meters of earth and concrete, is designed specifically to withstand aerial or cyberattacks
Natanz has faced multiple sabotage incidents, from cyberattacks like Stuxnet in 2010 to blasts and power disruptions including those in 2021.
Any damage at Natanz directly impacts Iran’s nuclear program and serves as a symbolic blow in the decades-long tug-of-war over nuclear proliferation.
Where is Natanz?
Natanz is located in Isfahan province, about 250 km south of Tehran, nestled between mountain ranges that provide it with natural cover. The site houses Iran’s largest uranium enrichment facility, including underground bunkers reinforced against airstrikes. Built deep beneath the surface, Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant is a heavily fortified site that has played a central role in Iran's uranium enrichment efforts for over two decades.
Its remote desert location, strategic proximity to military installations, and critical role in Iran’s nuclear capabilities make Natanz both symbolically and tactically significant.
High-profile casualties in Iran
Iranian state media reported the assassination of Gen Hossein Salami, commander of the Revolutionary Guard, alongside Major Gen Mohammad Bagheri, the armed forces chief, and two nuclear scientists. Their deaths mark a significant blow to Iran’s military leadership.
Israel defended the strikes as essential to neutralize Iran’s looming nuclear threat, claiming Iran had amassed enough enriched uranium for nine bombs and was progressing toward weaponization within months. Globally, the airstrikes triggered soaring oil prices, airspace shutdowns, and emergency measures in Israel.