Security

By Ehud Amiton/TPS • June 18, 2025

Jerusalem, 18 June, 2025 (TPS-IL) — More than 50 Israeli Air Force fighter jets struck multiple Iranian military targets in the Tehran area overnight, including a facility used to manufacture centrifuges for uranium enrichment, the Israel Defense Forces announced Wednesday morning.

Among the targets was a site “designed to enable the Iranian regime to expand the scale and speed of its uranium enrichment to develop nuclear weapons,” the IDF said in a statement.

It added that the level of enrichment was not consistent with civilian energy needs. “The Iranian regime is enriching uranium for the purpose of developing nuclear weapons,” the military said.

The strikes also hit weapons production sites, including one facility used to make components for surface-to-surface missiles and another for surface-to-air missile systems intended to target aircraft.

“These strikes were based on intelligence and aimed at degrading Iran’s capacity to produce and launch missiles at Israel,” an Israeli military official said.

Israel launched preemptive strikes against Iranian nuclear sites on Friday, citing intelligence that Tehran had reached “a point of no return” in its pursuit of nuclear weapons. According to Israeli defense officials, Iran has developed the capacity to rapidly enrich uranium and assemble nuclear bombs, with sufficient fissile material for up to 15 weapons.

Israeli intelligence also exposed a covert program to complete all components of a nuclear device. The strikes mark a dramatic escalation in what officials describe as a broader Iranian strategy combining nuclear development, missile proliferation, and proxy warfare aimed at Israel’s destruction.