Israel’s military operation has hobbled Iran’s missile and air defense capabilities put its nuclear program at risk.
Israel’s surprise military campaign against Iran has reshaped the political map of the Middle East in less than a week, with Israeli forces claiming several victories over Iran’s political and military apparatus.
The operation, code-named “Rising Lion,” rapidly expanded from an initial airstrike on June 13 to a full-blown operation to destroy Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs within a matter of days.
During the first several days of the operation, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) severely damaged Tehran’s nuclear program and key military sites, gained control over much of the Iranian airspace, and successfully assassinated numerous high-ranking officials in the Iranian government and military.
The rapid successes of the IDF were not without their toll, however, and both sides have suffered many civilian casualties, including hundreds of dead in Iran and hundreds injured in Israel.
Here’s a look at what Israeli forces achieved in the opening days of Rising Lion.
Iran’s Nuclear Program Compromised but Operational
Rising Lion’s first primary target was Iran’s nuclear program, which a nuclear watchdog group for the United Nations said earlier in the year had enriched a significant amount of uranium up to a 60 percent threshold.
That purity is a short technical step away from being converted to the 90 percent required for a nuclear weapon, but Iranian leadership maintains that it does not seek a nuclear weapon.
Speaking on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Iran was engaged in a secret attempt to build nuclear weapons, and that such a pursuit posed “a clear and present danger to Israel’s very survival” and needed to be thwarted at any cost.
As such, Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities in Natanz were Israel’s first major target in the operation.
The Natanz Enrichment Complex is the cornerstone of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and serves as the nation’s central facility for enriching uranium. Much of the facilities there are located deep below ground and behind reinforced concrete walls designed to protect the facility from missile attacks.
Israel’s strikes therefore sought to destroy the above-ground pilot enrichment plant there as well as power stations used to operate the facility, although the condition of underground facilities remains uncertain.
The facilities at Natanz also conduct research and development related to the creation of advanced centrifuges and, as such, any changes to Natanz’s operations will likely have a direct and continuing impact on any attempt by Tehran to produce a nuclear weapon.
