'Serious Damage' To Iran's Nuclear Facilities As Israeli Jets Operate Over Tehran's Skies

Gulf Insider

13 hours ago

Israel's military on Saturday has been busy touting that its warplanes have total air superiority over Western Iran and the capital area, as the Islamic Republic's defenses have been largely degraded and destroyed. A senior IDF military official has been cited in local media as saying very significant damage has been inflicted on key nuclear sites and that the IDF will 'continue'.
'Since the beginning of the operation, Iran's nuclear project has suffered heavy blows in two main areas: Damage to the production of the weapon core through strikes on uranium enrichment and conversion sites in Natanz and Isfahan [and] damage to the regime's weaponization group through the elimination of nine nuclear scientists with unique knowledge and experience in developing the nuclear detonation device,' the official said. And further that 'all the scientists eliminated in the opening strike had, over the years, been involved in developing the nuclear detonation device.'
The CIA at this moment still assesses that Iran does not produce a bomb, and was likely not actively seeking it. Iran's latest response is as follows:
'This aggression pushes the region into a dangerous cycle of violence,' Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says during a call with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, according to a statement from his ministry. 'Iran has responded and will respond in a firm manner to the barbaric actions of the Zionist regime.'
Netanyahu is meanwhile maintaining that the has the 'clear support' of US President Donald Trump, in a new televised address:
In an English video statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Iranian leaders are 'packing their bags' amid Israel's airstrikes.
'I'll tell you what would have come if we hadn't acted. We had information that this unscrupulous regime was planning to give the nuclear weapons that they would develop to their terrorist proxies. That's nuclear terrorism on steroids. That would threaten the entire world,' he says.
He adds that the operation has the 'clear support' of US President Donald Trump.
'Our enemy is your enemy… We're dealing with something that will threaten all of us sooner or later. Our victory will be your victory,' Netanyahu says, wishing the US leader a happy birthday.
'This is what Israel is doing with the support, the clear support of the president of the United States, Donald Trump, and the American people and many others in the world.'
Below are sites the IDF has claimed to have hit:
From nuclear sites to air defense systems, we've dismantled some of Iran's most dangerous military assets.Here's a breakdown of the key targets struck across Iran: pic.twitter.com/ppRJzwW8uz — Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 14, 2025
The latest developments via Al Jazeera: Iran and Israel trade missiles and air strikes as the conflict that's killed dozens escalates with no end in sight.
At least 80 people – including 20 children – have been killed in Iran and four in Israel, with hundreds wounded on both sides in the ongoing tit-for-tat attacks.
US President Donald Trump has lauded Israel's premeditated assault and warned of much worse to come unless Iran quickly accepts the sharp downgrading of its nuclear programme.
Continuing Iran-US nuclear talks is unjustifiable while 'barbarous' Israeli attacks persist on the country, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says.
The Israeli military says its air strikes on Iran killed more than 20 Iranian army and Revolutionary Guards commanders.
Israel's latest attacks on an Iranian gas field takes tensions to a different level
* * *
Overnight has seen the continual trading of tit-for-tat missile salvos between Israel and Iran, with Israeli fighter jets busy over western Iran, where they've claimed to have achieved complete domination of the skies after taking out anti-aircraft missile batteries.
Images of large-scale destruction have emerged from both capitals, with Israeli authorities saying at least four citizens have been killed – though casualty figures could be much higher amid an ongoing emergency response – and Iran says Israeli attacks have killed at least 78, including women and children, and wounded over 320 others.
Israel has shared footage of successful aerial attacks on Iran's ballistic missile launchers in some cases, while the IDF has announced that 70 Israeli Air Force fighter jets participated in the overnight operation in Tehran to establish 'aerial freedom of action' over the Iranian capital.
Some 40 sites were targeted, including air defense systems, IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin has said. Israeli jets were able to fly over and around the capital for some two-and-half hours.
'The dozens of aircraft are flying freely over Tehran, thanks to the opening blow that removed the threat of Iranian air defense systems,' he declared. Characterizing this as the deepest operation the Israeli Air Force (IAF) has ever been involved in over Iran, he announced:
'Tehran is no longer immune; the capital is exposed to Israeli strikes.'
Israeli jets have yet to strike all of Iran's nuclear facilities, and Prime Minister Netanyahu has warned that this could continue for several days more. There is serious damage reported at Natanz nuclear site. There have been conflicting reports over whether there is any radiation or chemical contamination at the site.
Some sections of the Isfahan site have been damaged, the IDF has said, while the other key site of Fordo has yet to be targeted.
Important, Israel says that nine nuclear scientists have been killed as a result of Friday aerial operations. Clearly Israel is going for leadership decapitation of military and nuclear programs.
Still, even with Iran's military capabilities now being steadily degraded, the Islamic Republic has to some degree shown it can regroup and hit back. Israeli media has described a state of panic on the streets, and in some cases residential areas have been demolished:
Israelis on Saturday described the fear, chaos and confusion as several Iranian missiles slammed into houses and apartments in central Israel overnight, causing widespread destruction, killing three people and wounding dozens.
Warning sirens sent millions of people rushing for safe rooms and bomb shelters as Iran fired several waves of missiles in response to Israeli strikes on its military leadership and nuclear program. While the IDF said most were intercepted, several missiles — apparently armed with large explosive warheads — slammed into homes in Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan and Rishon Lezion.
'We shut the door, started watching the news through the computer, and suddenly there was a boom so loud that the whole building teetered,' Tali Horesh, resident of a Tel Aviv high-rise that was hit Friday night, told the Ynet news site.
⚠️RAW FOOTAGE: Iran launched multiple ballistic missiles toward Israel in the past hours. The IDF cannot, and will not, allow Iran to attack our civilians. pic.twitter.com/IrDK05uErm — Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 13, 2025
Meanwhile President Trump has been nowhere to be seen, and certainly hasn't faced reporters' questions on where the United States stands in all this.
Is Israel committed to full war for regime change in Iran at this point?
Israel has decided to assassinate Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to try to cause total state collapse. Unless Iran establishes deterrence in the very short term by striking both Israeli and US assets in the region and eliminating top figures in the Israeli regime, they will… — ☀️👀 (@zei_squirrel) June 14, 2025
developing…