Israeli Airstrike on Iranian Nuclear Reactor
The Israeli military said that they attacked the Khondab nuclear reactor in the city of Arak in central Iran on Wednesday night. This is a heavy-water reactor under construction. Heavy-water reactors produce plutonium, which, like enriched uranium, can be used to make atomic bombs.
Iranian media reported that two bombs hit the area near the nuclear facility. The facility had been evacuated in advance, and there was no radiation leakage. The reactor is an important nuclear facility in Iran and has not yet been put into use.
The Israeli military also claimed to have attacked a facility in the Natanz region of Iran, which reportedly contained components and specialized equipment for advancing nuclear weapons research.
To date, Israel's airstrikes and missile attacks on Iran have lasted for a week, killing high-ranking members of Iran's military command and damaging Iran's nuclear capabilities. Israel stated that its goal was to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons and eliminate its ballistic missile capability. Iran has consistently denied plans to build nuclear weapons, claiming that its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes.
According to statistics from the Washington-based human rights organization Human Rights Activists, Israel's airstrikes on Iran have resulted in at least 639 deaths and 1,329 injuries, including 263 civilians and 154 security personnel. The Iranian government has not yet released the latest casualty data.
Iran's retaliatory attacks on Israel also caused more than twenty civilian deaths in Israel.
Source: DW
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