Israel-Iran war: Tehran's underground facility at Fordow attacked again; both nations trade wave of air, missile strikes

Iran’s underground nuclear enrichment site at Fordow was again attacked on Monday, Iranian state television reported. According to the report, which was also carried by other Iranian media, there was no clarity on who launched the assault or what kind of damage was reported after the fresh attack.

Israel has been conducting airstrikes throughout the day in Iran. Both countries traded another wave of air and missile strikes on Monday as the world braced for Tehran's response.

Fresh sirens in northern Israel warning of Iranian missiles

According to an AFP report, sirens sounded in several areas of northern Israel on Monday, after the army reported a fresh barrage of Iranian missiles, at least the third salvo in less than two hours.

“A short while ago, sirens sounded in several areas in northern Israel following the identification of missiles launched from Iran toward the State of Israel,” a military statement said, adding in another statement about 10 minutes later that people were allowed to leave shelters.

Earlier on Monday, sirens wailed across Israel for over 30 minutes as the military warned of multiple missile barrages launched from its arch-foe, the report said. "Search and rescue forces are operating in several locations across the country in which reports of fallen projectiles were received," the military added.

What is the Fordow underground facility?

The US had attacked three nuclear sites of Iran – Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan sites, with Fordow being one of the most important sites.

Located approximately 100 kilometres (60 miles) southwest of Tehran, Iran's Fordow nuclear facility contains centrifuge cascades, though it is smaller than Natanz. The IAEA reports that its construction started as early as 2007, but Iran notified the UN nuclear watchdog of the facility only in 2009, following awareness by the US and allied Western intelligence agencies.

The nuclear facility is situated under a mountain and protected by anti-aircraft batteries to withstand airstrikes. This facility can be targeted by “bunker buster” bombs, which are designed to go deep below the surface before exploding, such as the latest GBU-57 A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator bomb in the American arsenal, according to a report by AP citing military experts.

The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog said on Monday that “very heavy damage” is expected at Iran's underground facility at Fordo after a US airstrike there this weekend with sophisticated bunker-buster bombs.

Rafael Mariano Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, made the statement in Vienna, news agency AP reported.

“Given the explosive payload utilised and the extreme vibration-sensitive nature of centrifuges, very significant damage is expected to have occurred,” Gross said.

He added that “at this time, no one, including the IAEA, is in a position to have fully assessed the underground damage at Fordo.”

(With inputs from agencies)