Tel Aviv, June 13 Israeli Air Force (IAF) fighter jets, guided by precise intelligence, struck the Iranian regime's uranium enrichment site in the Natanz area overnight, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) announced on Friday.
"This is the largest uranium enrichment site in Iran, which has operated for years to achieve nuclear weapons capability and houses the infrastructure required for enriching uranium to military-grade levels," read a statement posted by the IDF on X.
"As part of the strikes, the underground area of the site was damaged. This area contains a multi-story enrichment hall with centrifuges, electrical rooms, and additional supporting infrastructure. In addition, critical infrastructure enabling the site's continuous operation and the Iranian regime's ongoing efforts to obtain nuclear weapons were targetted. We will continue to operate to prevent the Iranian Regime from acquiring nuclear weapons," it added.
The IDF made the revelation after announcing that it has completed a large-scale strike against the Iranian regime's air defence system in western Iran.
The statement came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced earlier in the day that Israel has launched 'Operation Rising Lion' against Iran, a targetted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat of nuclear weapons to Israel's very survival.
"In recent hours, Air Force fighter jets, under precise intelligence guidance from the Intelligence Branch, completed an extensive attack against the Iranian regime's air defence system in western Iran. As part of the attacks, dozens of radars and surface-to-air missile launchers were destroyed. Throughout the war, the IDF systematically attacked the air defence system of the Iranian regime and its proxies in the Middle East. These strikes improve the Israeli Air Force's freedom of aerial action," the IDF said in a post on X.
Speaking to soldiers at a command centre on Friday, the head of the Israeli Military Intelligence Directorate Shlomi Binder said that Israel is embarking on an "existential" campaign against Iran, which seeks to destroy it.
"As you know, we are entering a campaign that is nothing less than existential, against an enemy that seeks to destroy us," said Binder
"You’ve heard this yourselves more than once: they are working to develop nuclear capabilities, rapidly advancing in that development, and building up conventional weaponry in very, very large quantities. This is what we aim to degrade, to disrupt, and to remove that threat. The Intelligence Directorate has worked extremely hard, both to provide early warning about the nuclear progress and the quantities of missiles, and the directorate is ready for this mission," he added.
Binder further emphasised that the directorate remains on high alert, and is approaching the campaign against Iran with a "very strong starting position".
Israel launched major airstrikes against Iran in the early hours of Friday, significantly escalating tensions in the region and raising the spectre of a broader conflict between the long-standing rivals.
The IDF claimed to have eliminated three of Iran's top military leaders in overnight airstrikes that rocked multiple cities across the Islamic Republic.
"We can now confirm that the Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), and the Commander of Iran's Emergency Command were all eliminated in the Israeli strikes across Iran by more than 200 fighter jets. These are three ruthless mass murderers with international blood on their hands. The world is a better place without them," the IDF said in a post on X.
The statement marked a new peak in the long-simmering confrontation between Israel and Iran, triggering fears of a full-scale regional conflict.
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