Iran's Natanz enrichment plant destroyed, UN told
The above-ground pilot enrichment plant at Iran's Natanz nuclear site has been destroyed in Israel's strikes on Iran, the UN nuclear watchdog chief says.
"At present, the Iranian authorities are informing us of attacks on two other facilities, namely the Fordow fuel enrichment plant and at Isfahan," International Atomic Energy Agency's head Rafael Grossi told the UN Security Council on Friday.
"At this moment we do not have enough information beyond indicating that military activity has been taking place around these facilities as well," he said.
Iran is enriching uranium up to 60 per cent purity, close to weapons grade of 90 per cent, at the Natanz pilot plant.
But the Fordow site, which is dug into a mountain, produces more of the material, and military experts say it would be difficult for Israel to destroy through bombardment.
Grossi said electricity infrastructure at Natanz was also destroyed and the loss of power to a cascade hall might have damaged centrifuges there.
But the level of radioactivity outside Natanz remained unchanged and normal, he said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi requested the Security Council meeting, saying Israel "has now crossed every red line, and the international community must not allow these crimes to go unpunished".
"Iran reaffirms its inherent right to self-defence as enshrined in Article 51 of the UN Charter and will respond decisively and proportionately to these unlawful and cowardly acts," Araghchi wrote in a letter.
Iran launched retaliatory strikes on Israel on Friday evening.
Israel launched a barrage of strikes across Iran on Friday, saying it had attacked nuclear facilities and missile factories and killed military commanders in what could be a prolonged operation to prevent Tehran building an atomic weapon.
"We don't know how long it will take," Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon told reporters.
"We will continue to act until we will know that we eliminated the threats."
"The goals of our operation are very clear - to make sure that Iran will not have nuclear capabilities and to stop the ballistic missile operation."
Araghchi, in his letter to the Security Council, said Israel had not only violated Iran's sovereignty but also committed "acts of aggression and war crimes".
The above-ground pilot enrichment plant at Iran's Natanz nuclear site has been destroyed in Israel's strikes on Iran, the UN nuclear watchdog chief says.
"At present, the Iranian authorities are informing us of attacks on two other facilities, namely the Fordow fuel enrichment plant and at Isfahan," International Atomic Energy Agency's head Rafael Grossi told the UN Security Council on Friday.
"At this moment we do not have enough information beyond indicating that military activity has been taking place around these facilities as well," he said.
Iran is enriching uranium up to 60 per cent purity, close to weapons grade of 90 per cent, at the Natanz pilot plant.
But the Fordow site, which is dug into a mountain, produces more of the material, and military experts say it would be difficult for Israel to destroy through bombardment.
Grossi said electricity infrastructure at Natanz was also destroyed and the loss of power to a cascade hall might have damaged centrifuges there.
But the level of radioactivity outside Natanz remained unchanged and normal, he said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi requested the Security Council meeting, saying Israel "has now crossed every red line, and the international community must not allow these crimes to go unpunished".
"Iran reaffirms its inherent right to self-defence as enshrined in Article 51 of the UN Charter and will respond decisively and proportionately to these unlawful and cowardly acts," Araghchi wrote in a letter.
Iran launched retaliatory strikes on Israel on Friday evening.
Israel launched a barrage of strikes across Iran on Friday, saying it had attacked nuclear facilities and missile factories and killed military commanders in what could be a prolonged operation to prevent Tehran building an atomic weapon.
"We don't know how long it will take," Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon told reporters.
"We will continue to act until we will know that we eliminated the threats."
"The goals of our operation are very clear - to make sure that Iran will not have nuclear capabilities and to stop the ballistic missile operation."
Araghchi, in his letter to the Security Council, said Israel had not only violated Iran's sovereignty but also committed "acts of aggression and war crimes".
The above-ground pilot enrichment plant at Iran's Natanz nuclear site has been destroyed in Israel's strikes on Iran, the UN nuclear watchdog chief says.
"At present, the Iranian authorities are informing us of attacks on two other facilities, namely the Fordow fuel enrichment plant and at Isfahan," International Atomic Energy Agency's head Rafael Grossi told the UN Security Council on Friday.
"At this moment we do not have enough information beyond indicating that military activity has been taking place around these facilities as well," he said.
Iran is enriching uranium up to 60 per cent purity, close to weapons grade of 90 per cent, at the Natanz pilot plant.
But the Fordow site, which is dug into a mountain, produces more of the material, and military experts say it would be difficult for Israel to destroy through bombardment.
Grossi said electricity infrastructure at Natanz was also destroyed and the loss of power to a cascade hall might have damaged centrifuges there.
But the level of radioactivity outside Natanz remained unchanged and normal, he said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi requested the Security Council meeting, saying Israel "has now crossed every red line, and the international community must not allow these crimes to go unpunished".
"Iran reaffirms its inherent right to self-defence as enshrined in Article 51 of the UN Charter and will respond decisively and proportionately to these unlawful and cowardly acts," Araghchi wrote in a letter.
Iran launched retaliatory strikes on Israel on Friday evening.
Israel launched a barrage of strikes across Iran on Friday, saying it had attacked nuclear facilities and missile factories and killed military commanders in what could be a prolonged operation to prevent Tehran building an atomic weapon.
"We don't know how long it will take," Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon told reporters.
"We will continue to act until we will know that we eliminated the threats."
"The goals of our operation are very clear - to make sure that Iran will not have nuclear capabilities and to stop the ballistic missile operation."
Araghchi, in his letter to the Security Council, said Israel had not only violated Iran's sovereignty but also committed "acts of aggression and war crimes".
The above-ground pilot enrichment plant at Iran's Natanz nuclear site has been destroyed in Israel's strikes on Iran, the UN nuclear watchdog chief says.
"At present, the Iranian authorities are informing us of attacks on two other facilities, namely the Fordow fuel enrichment plant and at Isfahan," International Atomic Energy Agency's head Rafael Grossi told the UN Security Council on Friday.
"At this moment we do not have enough information beyond indicating that military activity has been taking place around these facilities as well," he said.
Iran is enriching uranium up to 60 per cent purity, close to weapons grade of 90 per cent, at the Natanz pilot plant.
But the Fordow site, which is dug into a mountain, produces more of the material, and military experts say it would be difficult for Israel to destroy through bombardment.
Grossi said electricity infrastructure at Natanz was also destroyed and the loss of power to a cascade hall might have damaged centrifuges there.
But the level of radioactivity outside Natanz remained unchanged and normal, he said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi requested the Security Council meeting, saying Israel "has now crossed every red line, and the international community must not allow these crimes to go unpunished".
"Iran reaffirms its inherent right to self-defence as enshrined in Article 51 of the UN Charter and will respond decisively and proportionately to these unlawful and cowardly acts," Araghchi wrote in a letter.
Iran launched retaliatory strikes on Israel on Friday evening.
Israel launched a barrage of strikes across Iran on Friday, saying it had attacked nuclear facilities and missile factories and killed military commanders in what could be a prolonged operation to prevent Tehran building an atomic weapon.
"We don't know how long it will take," Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon told reporters.
"We will continue to act until we will know that we eliminated the threats."
"The goals of our operation are very clear - to make sure that Iran will not have nuclear capabilities and to stop the ballistic missile operation."
Araghchi, in his letter to the Security Council, said Israel had not only violated Iran's sovereignty but also committed "acts of aggression and war crimes".
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The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
'Tehran will burn', Israel warns Iran after attacks
Israel's defence minister says "Tehran will burn" if Iran continues firing missiles after at least three people died and dozens were wounded in retaliation to Israeli air strikes on cities, military sites and nuclear facilities. In Tehran, Iranian state TV reported that around 60 people, including 20 children, had been killed in an attack on a housing complex. In Israel, air raid sirens sent residents into shelters as waves of missiles streaked across the sky and interceptors rose to meet them, killing at least three people. An Israeli official said Iran had fired around 200 ballistic missiles in four waves. Iranian fire struck residential districts in Israel and Defence Minister Israel Katz said Iran's leadership had crossed a red line. "If (Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei continues to fire missiles at the Israeli home front, Tehran will burn," he said in a statement. Iran had vowed to avenge Friday's Israeli onslaught, which gutted Iran's nuclear and military leadership and damaged atomic plants and military bases, killing 78 people including civilians according to Iran's UN envoy. Tehran warned Israel's allies their regional military bases would come under fire too if they help shoot down Iranian missiles, Iranian state television reported. Iran's overnight fusillade included hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones, an Israeli official said. Three people, including a man and a woman, were killed and dozens wounded, the ambulance service said. In Rishon LeZion, south of Tel Aviv, emergency services rescued a baby girl trapped in a house hit by a missile, police said. Video showed teams searching through the rubble of one home. And in the western suburb of Ramat Gan, near Ben Gurion airport, Linda Grinfeld described her apartment being damaged: "We were sitting in the shelter, and then we heard such a boom. It was awful." The Israeli military said it had intercepted surface-to-surface Iranian missiles as well as drones, and that two rockets had been fired from Gaza. With Iran's air defences heavily damaged, Israeli Air Force chief Tomer Bar said "the road to Iran has been paved". In preparation for possible further escalation, reservists were being deployed across Israel. Army Radio reported units had been positioned along the Lebanese and Jordanian borders. In Iran, explosions were heard overnight across the capital, state media reported. Fars News agency said two projectiles had hit Mehraband airport, located inside the capital, which is both civilian and military. State television reported that a 14-storey housing complex, Shahid Chamran, had been flattened by a missile. It said 60 people had been killed, though there was no immediate official confirmation. Israel's military did not immediately comment on that report. Iran's UN envoy Amir Saeid Iravani said 78 people had been killed in Israel's strikes on Friday and more than 320 wounded, most of them civilians. Israel sees Iran's nuclear program as a threat to its existence, and said the bombing campaign was designed to avert the last steps to production of a nuclear weapon - even though US intelligence says it has seen no sign that this is imminent. Israeli UN envoy Danny Danon called the strikes "an act of national preservation". A military official on Saturday said Israel had killed nine Iranian nuclear scientists, and that the damage to the nuclear facilities at Esfahan and Natanz would take "more than a few weeks" to repair. Tehran insists the program is entirely civilian in line with its obligations under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and that it does not seek an atomic bomb. However, it has repeatedly hidden parts of its programme from international inspectors, and the International Atomic Energy Agency has reported it in violation of the NPT. with AP Israel's defence minister says "Tehran will burn" if Iran continues firing missiles after at least three people died and dozens were wounded in retaliation to Israeli air strikes on cities, military sites and nuclear facilities. In Tehran, Iranian state TV reported that around 60 people, including 20 children, had been killed in an attack on a housing complex. In Israel, air raid sirens sent residents into shelters as waves of missiles streaked across the sky and interceptors rose to meet them, killing at least three people. An Israeli official said Iran had fired around 200 ballistic missiles in four waves. Iranian fire struck residential districts in Israel and Defence Minister Israel Katz said Iran's leadership had crossed a red line. "If (Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei continues to fire missiles at the Israeli home front, Tehran will burn," he said in a statement. Iran had vowed to avenge Friday's Israeli onslaught, which gutted Iran's nuclear and military leadership and damaged atomic plants and military bases, killing 78 people including civilians according to Iran's UN envoy. Tehran warned Israel's allies their regional military bases would come under fire too if they help shoot down Iranian missiles, Iranian state television reported. Iran's overnight fusillade included hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones, an Israeli official said. Three people, including a man and a woman, were killed and dozens wounded, the ambulance service said. In Rishon LeZion, south of Tel Aviv, emergency services rescued a baby girl trapped in a house hit by a missile, police said. Video showed teams searching through the rubble of one home. And in the western suburb of Ramat Gan, near Ben Gurion airport, Linda Grinfeld described her apartment being damaged: "We were sitting in the shelter, and then we heard such a boom. It was awful." The Israeli military said it had intercepted surface-to-surface Iranian missiles as well as drones, and that two rockets had been fired from Gaza. With Iran's air defences heavily damaged, Israeli Air Force chief Tomer Bar said "the road to Iran has been paved". In preparation for possible further escalation, reservists were being deployed across Israel. Army Radio reported units had been positioned along the Lebanese and Jordanian borders. In Iran, explosions were heard overnight across the capital, state media reported. Fars News agency said two projectiles had hit Mehraband airport, located inside the capital, which is both civilian and military. State television reported that a 14-storey housing complex, Shahid Chamran, had been flattened by a missile. It said 60 people had been killed, though there was no immediate official confirmation. Israel's military did not immediately comment on that report. Iran's UN envoy Amir Saeid Iravani said 78 people had been killed in Israel's strikes on Friday and more than 320 wounded, most of them civilians. Israel sees Iran's nuclear program as a threat to its existence, and said the bombing campaign was designed to avert the last steps to production of a nuclear weapon - even though US intelligence says it has seen no sign that this is imminent. Israeli UN envoy Danny Danon called the strikes "an act of national preservation". A military official on Saturday said Israel had killed nine Iranian nuclear scientists, and that the damage to the nuclear facilities at Esfahan and Natanz would take "more than a few weeks" to repair. Tehran insists the program is entirely civilian in line with its obligations under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and that it does not seek an atomic bomb. However, it has repeatedly hidden parts of its programme from international inspectors, and the International Atomic Energy Agency has reported it in violation of the NPT. with AP Israel's defence minister says "Tehran will burn" if Iran continues firing missiles after at least three people died and dozens were wounded in retaliation to Israeli air strikes on cities, military sites and nuclear facilities. In Tehran, Iranian state TV reported that around 60 people, including 20 children, had been killed in an attack on a housing complex. In Israel, air raid sirens sent residents into shelters as waves of missiles streaked across the sky and interceptors rose to meet them, killing at least three people. An Israeli official said Iran had fired around 200 ballistic missiles in four waves. Iranian fire struck residential districts in Israel and Defence Minister Israel Katz said Iran's leadership had crossed a red line. "If (Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei continues to fire missiles at the Israeli home front, Tehran will burn," he said in a statement. Iran had vowed to avenge Friday's Israeli onslaught, which gutted Iran's nuclear and military leadership and damaged atomic plants and military bases, killing 78 people including civilians according to Iran's UN envoy. Tehran warned Israel's allies their regional military bases would come under fire too if they help shoot down Iranian missiles, Iranian state television reported. Iran's overnight fusillade included hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones, an Israeli official said. Three people, including a man and a woman, were killed and dozens wounded, the ambulance service said. In Rishon LeZion, south of Tel Aviv, emergency services rescued a baby girl trapped in a house hit by a missile, police said. Video showed teams searching through the rubble of one home. And in the western suburb of Ramat Gan, near Ben Gurion airport, Linda Grinfeld described her apartment being damaged: "We were sitting in the shelter, and then we heard such a boom. It was awful." The Israeli military said it had intercepted surface-to-surface Iranian missiles as well as drones, and that two rockets had been fired from Gaza. With Iran's air defences heavily damaged, Israeli Air Force chief Tomer Bar said "the road to Iran has been paved". In preparation for possible further escalation, reservists were being deployed across Israel. Army Radio reported units had been positioned along the Lebanese and Jordanian borders. In Iran, explosions were heard overnight across the capital, state media reported. Fars News agency said two projectiles had hit Mehraband airport, located inside the capital, which is both civilian and military. State television reported that a 14-storey housing complex, Shahid Chamran, had been flattened by a missile. It said 60 people had been killed, though there was no immediate official confirmation. Israel's military did not immediately comment on that report. Iran's UN envoy Amir Saeid Iravani said 78 people had been killed in Israel's strikes on Friday and more than 320 wounded, most of them civilians. Israel sees Iran's nuclear program as a threat to its existence, and said the bombing campaign was designed to avert the last steps to production of a nuclear weapon - even though US intelligence says it has seen no sign that this is imminent. Israeli UN envoy Danny Danon called the strikes "an act of national preservation". A military official on Saturday said Israel had killed nine Iranian nuclear scientists, and that the damage to the nuclear facilities at Esfahan and Natanz would take "more than a few weeks" to repair. Tehran insists the program is entirely civilian in line with its obligations under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and that it does not seek an atomic bomb. However, it has repeatedly hidden parts of its programme from international inspectors, and the International Atomic Energy Agency has reported it in violation of the NPT. with AP Israel's defence minister says "Tehran will burn" if Iran continues firing missiles after at least three people died and dozens were wounded in retaliation to Israeli air strikes on cities, military sites and nuclear facilities. In Tehran, Iranian state TV reported that around 60 people, including 20 children, had been killed in an attack on a housing complex. In Israel, air raid sirens sent residents into shelters as waves of missiles streaked across the sky and interceptors rose to meet them, killing at least three people. An Israeli official said Iran had fired around 200 ballistic missiles in four waves. Iranian fire struck residential districts in Israel and Defence Minister Israel Katz said Iran's leadership had crossed a red line. "If (Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei continues to fire missiles at the Israeli home front, Tehran will burn," he said in a statement. Iran had vowed to avenge Friday's Israeli onslaught, which gutted Iran's nuclear and military leadership and damaged atomic plants and military bases, killing 78 people including civilians according to Iran's UN envoy. Tehran warned Israel's allies their regional military bases would come under fire too if they help shoot down Iranian missiles, Iranian state television reported. Iran's overnight fusillade included hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones, an Israeli official said. Three people, including a man and a woman, were killed and dozens wounded, the ambulance service said. In Rishon LeZion, south of Tel Aviv, emergency services rescued a baby girl trapped in a house hit by a missile, police said. Video showed teams searching through the rubble of one home. And in the western suburb of Ramat Gan, near Ben Gurion airport, Linda Grinfeld described her apartment being damaged: "We were sitting in the shelter, and then we heard such a boom. It was awful." The Israeli military said it had intercepted surface-to-surface Iranian missiles as well as drones, and that two rockets had been fired from Gaza. With Iran's air defences heavily damaged, Israeli Air Force chief Tomer Bar said "the road to Iran has been paved". In preparation for possible further escalation, reservists were being deployed across Israel. Army Radio reported units had been positioned along the Lebanese and Jordanian borders. In Iran, explosions were heard overnight across the capital, state media reported. Fars News agency said two projectiles had hit Mehraband airport, located inside the capital, which is both civilian and military. State television reported that a 14-storey housing complex, Shahid Chamran, had been flattened by a missile. It said 60 people had been killed, though there was no immediate official confirmation. Israel's military did not immediately comment on that report. Iran's UN envoy Amir Saeid Iravani said 78 people had been killed in Israel's strikes on Friday and more than 320 wounded, most of them civilians. Israel sees Iran's nuclear program as a threat to its existence, and said the bombing campaign was designed to avert the last steps to production of a nuclear weapon - even though US intelligence says it has seen no sign that this is imminent. Israeli UN envoy Danny Danon called the strikes "an act of national preservation". A military official on Saturday said Israel had killed nine Iranian nuclear scientists, and that the damage to the nuclear facilities at Esfahan and Natanz would take "more than a few weeks" to repair. Tehran insists the program is entirely civilian in line with its obligations under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and that it does not seek an atomic bomb. However, it has repeatedly hidden parts of its programme from international inspectors, and the International Atomic Energy Agency has reported it in violation of the NPT. with AP
West Australian
an hour ago
- West Australian
Iran threatens full blown war with deadly reply and chilling warning to other countries who defend Israel
Iran has launched deadly missile strikes on Israel followed by a chilling warning that it will target any countries who try to defend the Jewish state. The retaliatory action on Saturday killed at least three people and wounded dozens after Friday's blistering Israeli attacks on the heart of Iran's nuclear program. 'New round of Honest Promise 3 attacks,' Tehran's state television reported, referring to the name of the military operation. It came as a senior Iranian official said the nation would broaden the war if other countries got involved. 'Any country that attempts to defend the regime against Iran's operations will, in turn, see its regional bases and positions become new targets.' In response, Israel's defence minister Israel Katz warned Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that 'Tehran will burn' if it keeps firing missiles at Israeli civilians. Air raid sirens sounded in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem early on Saturday, sending residents rushing into shelters as successive waves of Iranian missiles streaked across the skies. A man and a woman were killed in Israel and dozens wounded by a missile that landed near their homes, Israel's ambulance service said. Rescue teams were searching the rubble of apartment buildings that were destroyed in Rishon Lezion, a city outside of Tel Aviv where another person is believed to have died. Mr Katz said the Iranian leadership had crossed a red line by firing at civilians and will 'pay a heavy price for it'. In Iran, several explosions were heard in the capital Tehran. The Fars news agency said two projectiles hit Tehran's Mehrabad airport, which hosts an air force base. Iran's UN envoy Amir Saeid Iravani said 78 people, including senior military officials, have been killed in Israel's strikes on Iran and more than 320 wounded, most of them civilians. Tehran launched waves of air strikes on Saturday after two salvoes on Friday night, Fars reported. One of the waves targeted Tel Aviv, Israel's commercial hub, before dawn, with explosions heard as far as Jerusalem, witnesses said. Those were in response to Israel's original attacks on Iran early on Friday against commanders, nuclear scientists, military targets and nuclear sites. The US military helped shoot down Iranian missiles headed for Israel on Friday, two US officials said. Israel's military said Iran fired fewer than 100 missiles on Friday and most were intercepted or fell short. But several buildings in and around Tel Aviv were hit. The Israeli strikes on Iran throughout the day and the Iranian retaliation raised fears of a broader regional conflagration, although Iran's allies Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon have been decimated by Israel. Iran's state news agency IRNA said Israel's strikes on Friday had hit the country's huge Natanz underground nuclear site and killed its top military commanders. UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi told the Security Council that the above-ground pilot enrichment plant at Natanz had also been destroyed. He said the UN was still gathering information about Israeli attacks on the Fordow fuel enrichment plant and a facility at Isfahan. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused Israel of starting a war, and a senior Iranian official said revenge would be painful. Iran accused the US of being complicit in the attacks and said it shared full responsibility for the consequences. US officials said that American air defence systems and navy assets in the Middle East helped Israel shoot down incoming ballistic missiles. The US has both ground-based Patriot missile defence systems and Terminal High Altitude Area Defence systems in the region capable of intercepting ballistic missiles. Naval assets also were involved in assisting Israel on Friday as Iran fired missiles at Tel Aviv, one official said. The United States also is shifting military resources, including ships, in the Middle East in response to the strikes. Israel's UN envoy Danny Danon said intelligence had confirmed that within days Iran would have produced enough fissile material for multiple bombs. He called Israel's operation 'an act of national preservation'. Iran has long insisted its nuclear program is for civilian purposes only. The UN nuclear watchdog concluded this week that Iran was in violation of its obligations under the global non-proliferation treaty. US President Donald Trump said it was not too late for Tehran to halt the Israeli bombing campaign by reaching a deal on its nuclear program. Tehran had been in talks with the Trump administration on a deal to curb its nuclear program to replace one that Mr Trump abandoned in 2018. Tehran rejected the last US offer. Talks are due to resume in Oman on Sunday but Iran signalled it might not join. Dialogue with the US over Iran's nuclear program is 'meaningless', Tehran said, accusing Washington of supporting Friday's attack. 'The other side (the US) acted in a way that makes dialogue meaningless. You cannot claim to negotiate and at the same time divide work by allowing the Zionist regime (Israel) to target Iran's territory,' foreign ministry spokes-person Esmaeil Baghaei was quoted as saying on the semi-official Tasnim news agency. He said Israel 'succeeded in influencing' the diplomatic process and Friday's Israeli attack would not have happened without Washington's permission. Iran denies that its uranium enrichment program is for anything other than civilian purposes, continually rejecting Israeli allegations that it is secretly developing nuclear weapons. Mr Trump admitted on Fox News that he and his team had known the Israeli attacks were coming but they still saw room for an accord. Global leaders have called for de-escalation of the conflict including UN chief Antonio Guterres. 'Israeli bombardment of Iranian nuclear sites, Iranian missile strikes in Tel Aviv, enough escalation,' Mr Guterres said. 'Time to stop. Peace and diplomacy must prevail.'
9 News
6 hours ago
- 9 News
Israel's unprecedented attack shows Iran has become a 'playground' for the Mossad
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here BREAKING Australian killed, another injured in Bali villa shooting incident Israeli intelligence agency Mossad had smuggled weapons into Iran ahead of the strikes, according to Israeli security officials, and would use the weapons to target Iran's defence from within. The officials said Israel established a base for launching explosive drones inside Iran, and the drones were later used to target missile launchers near Tehran. Military personnel stand near the flag-draped coffin of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh during his funeral in Tehran, Iran, in November 2020. (Iranian Defense Ministry/AP) Precision weapons were also smuggled in and used to target surface-to-air missile systems, clearing the way for Israel's Air Force to carry out more than 100 strikes with upward of 200 aircraft in the early hours of Friday local time. The plan to disable Iranian defences seems to have been effective; Israel said all of its aircraft returned safely from the first waves of strikes, appearing to show Israeli air superiority over parts of a country hundreds of miles away. Intelligence gathered by the Mossad in Iran also gave Israel's air force the ability to target senior Iranian commanders and scientists. In this photo released by the official website of the Iranian Defense Ministry, military personnel carry the flag draped coffin of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a scientist who was killed on Friday, in a funeral ceremony in Tehran, Iran, Monday, November 30. (AP) In an incredibly rare move, the Mossad released video from some of its operations, showing drones attacking what appear to be unsuspecting missile launchers. It is the latest operation to show how deeply Israel's intelligence services, including the Mossad, have penetrated some of Iran's most closely guarded secrets. The operations have made the Mossad appear a nearly unstoppable force in Iran, capable of hitting at some of its highest-ranking officials and most sensitive sites. "Mossad has treated Iran like its playground for years now," said Holly Dagres, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute and curator of the Iranist newsletter. "From assassinating top nuclear scientists to sabotaging Iranian nuclear facilities, Israel has proved time and time again that it has always had the upper hand in this shadow war that has now been playing out in the open since the first tit-for-tat strikes in April 2024." Firefighters and people clean up the scene of an explosion in a residence compound after Israel attacked Iran's capital Tehran, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) An Israeli security source said the latest operation required commando forces operating deep within Tehran and across the country while avoiding detection from Iran's security and intelligence agencies. The source said Mossad teams targeted air defence missiles, ballistic missiles, and missile launchers as the attack from the Israeli Air Force began. A second Israeli security source said the Mossad operations were years in the making, involving both intelligence-gathering efforts and the deployment of Mossad commandos deep behind enemy lines. Some of the Mossad commando forces operated in the Iranian capital itself, according to the security source. In addition to the drone base established by the Mossad long before Wednesday's attack, Mossad commandos deployed "precision-guided weapons systems" near Iranian missile air defence systems, which were activated at the same time as the Israeli air force began striking its targets. A second operation deployed sophisticated vehicle-mounted weaponry to target other Iranian defence systems. The Mossad operation also involved assassinations of top Iranian officials. Israel has shown – flaunted even – the Mossad's ability to operate with near impunity in Iran in the past. Starting in the early-2010s, Iran accused Israel of carrying out a campaign of assassinations against the country's nuclear scientists. Smoke rises up after an explosion in Tehran, Iran on Friday, June 13. (AP) Former Defence Minister Moshe Ya'alon tacitly acknowledged the targeted killings when he said in 2015 that Israel cannot be held responsible "for the life expectancy of Iran's nuclear scientists." From 2007 to 2012 Israel allegedly carried out five covert assassinations, nearly all in Tehran, through remote-controlled bombings, or remote-controlled machine guns. Only one of Iran's key nuclear scientists survived the assassination attempt, Fereydoon Abbasi. Just last month, Abbasi told Iranian state media that any attack on production sites would have little impact on the timeline of developing a bomb, saying, "our capabilities are spread all over the country. If they target production sites, it will be inconsequential to our timetable, because our nuclear materials are not stored above ground for them to hit." Abbasi was one of the scientists killed in Israel's early morning attack in Tehran. The Mossad's actions soon became much more public. In early-2018, Israel stole Iran's nuclear archive from Tehran, displaying the intelligence coup in a live broadcast from Jerusalem. Speaking in English, Netanyahu showed off the archive, including what he said were copies of 55,000 pages of Iranian nuclear information and a display of discs he said were 55,000 files. Israeli Iron Dome air defense system fires to intercept missiles over Tel Aviv, Israel on Friday, June 13. (AP) Iran tried to dismiss Netanyahu's comments as "childish" and "laughable," but the plundering of the archive showed the confidence Israel had in the Mossad's ability to function in Tehran. The operation, which would have required extensive planning and an intimate knowledge of the archive's location and security, pushed the first Trump administration to withdraw from the original nuclear agreement with Iran, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). In November 2020, Israel assassinated Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, Iran's chief nuclear scientist, while he was in a bulletproof car travelling with his wife. Fakhrizadeh's car was moving in a convoy with three security vehicles when he came under fire. Iranian state media said a remote-controlled machine gun opened fire on the nuclear scientist, who had been a long-time target for Israel. The operation, which Israel has not publicly acknowledged, was carried out with remarkable precision, and it displayed a deep knowledge of Fakhrizadeh's pattern of life. And yet despite its repeated inability to stop the Mossad, Iran has proven incapable of improving. Ram Ben Barak, the former deputy director of the Mossad, said the organisation's continued success is "due to a very, very disliked regime, even hated by most of the public, so this allows for intelligence penetration on one hand, and on the other, you have the sophistication and professionalism of the Israeli intelligence personnel." After the start of the war in Gaza, Israel assassinated Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in the heart of Tehran. A source familiar with the matter said Israel planted an explosive device in a guest house where Haniyeh was known to stay. The bomb was concealed in the room for two months before the targeted killing and detonated remotely once Haniyeh was in the room. World Iran Israel Middle East CONTACT US Property News: The last inner Sydney suburbs where houses cost under $2m.
