Israel claims Iran's military leadership ‘on the run’; strikes damage Tehran's underground nuclear site
Tel Aviv has not yet targeted Iran's underground Fordow nuclear facility. However, that might still happen, an official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.
Israel on Tuesday said that it had launched strikes on dozens of targets linked to the nuclear and ballistic missile programmes of Israel, which has resulted in Tehran's military leadership be “on the run”.
As per an Israeli military official quoted by Reuters, Tel Aviv has not yet targeted Iran's underground Fordow nuclear facility. However, that might still happen, the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.
He further revealed that Israel was taking precautions to ensure that a nuclear disaster does not get triggered.
Iran has till now launched around 400 ballistic missiles and hundreds of drones at Israel that have targeted both military and civilian sites, the official was quoted as saying by Reuters.
He said an overnight fall-off in the number of missiles fired showed that Israel had succeeded in damaging Iran's ability to launch missiles.
Iran's nuclear facilities impacted by Israeli airstrikes
The International Atomic Energy Agency said on Tuesday that it believes Israeli airstrikes have caused “direct impacts” on Iran's Natanz nuclear site.
The agency said that the facility's underground centrifuge halls were impacted due to the attack.
“Based on continued analysis of high-resolution satellite imagery collected after Friday's attacks, the IAEA has identified additional elements that indicate direct impacts on the underground enrichment halls at Natanz,” the agency said.
This is the first time that the UN's nuclear watchdog has made an assessment of damage from the strikes in the underground parts of Natanz, which is the main enrichment facility of Iran's nuclear programme.
IAEA said there was "no change to report" at Iran's two other major nuclear sites, Isfahan and Fordow.
Trump sends an ominous message
Israel continued to strike Iran on Tuesday, while US President Donald Trump posted an ominous message warning residents of Tehran.
“IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON,” Trump wrote Monday night before returning to Washington early from a Group of Seven summit in Canada. “Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!” he added.
Asked why he had urged for the evacuation of Tehran, he said: “I just want people to be safe.”
Before leaving the summit in Canada, Trump joined the other leaders in a joint statement saying Iran “can never have a nuclear weapon” and calling for a “de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza.”