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Israeli Strikes Reportedly Destroy Iran’s Covert Nuclear Facility

F-35I Adir. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
F-35I Adir. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Key Points and Summary: Israel’s late-October 2024 airstrike on Iran’s Talegahn 2 facility near Tehran has dealt a severe blow to the Islamic Republic’s nuclear ambitions.

-Previously thought inactive, the covert research site was reportedly involved in developing explosive charges for nuclear weapons.

-The Israeli Air Force’s precision strike underscored its ability to penetrate deep into Iranian territory and target critical infrastructure without sustaining losses.

-Iran, unable to publicly acknowledge the attack without exposing treaty violations, now faces intensified scrutiny.

-This operation sends a stark warning to Tehran: Israel’s intelligence and military capabilities remain unparalleled in countering nuclear threats.

Israel’s Airstrike on Talegahn 2: A Major Blow to Iran’s Nuclear Program

The Israeli attack on Iran back in late October of last year was more damaging than the Islamic Republic or anyone else believed possible.

The airstrikes by the Israeli Air Force (IAF) were initially thought to target air defense systems but may have dealt a significant blow to Iran’s nuclear facilities. 

Israeli airstrikes on October 25th reportedly destroyed Talegahn 2, a covert Iranian nuclear research facility near Tehran.

That is a stark message to the mullahs in Iran that the IAF can enter their country and take out its nuclear research facilities easily. 

The research facility, named Talegahn 2, is located around 20 miles southeast of Tehran.

Talegahn 2 used to be a nuclear research facility. However, it was considered to be inactive—the Iranians, however, had reactivated it, but Israeli intelligence learned of this, and the IAF took it out.

Israel Sends Message To Iran

A State Department spokesperson said to Newsweek: “Iran should not respond to Israel’s retaliation. If it chooses to do so, we will support Israel in defending itself. The United States’ message for Iran is clear: should it choose to undertake further attacks against Israel or U.S. personnel in the region, there will be consequences.”

Axios reported that U.S. and Israeli officials confirmed that the facility housed critical equipment used in designing explosive charges that would be necessary to detonate uranium in a nuclear device.

F-35I Adir Fighter from Israel

F-35I Adir Fighter from Israel

Tehran has, for years, denied they are chasing building a nuclear weapon. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said, “Iran is not after nuclear weapons, period.” The rest of the world knows the opposite. Regardless, this airstrike by the Israelis has set back their program. 

Satellite imagery analyzed by the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) confirmed that the building was destroyed in the Israeli strike, Axios added.

Netanyahu Ignores Biden Message, Strikes Nuclear Facility 

Since the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023, the Israelis have put the blame where it belongs…on Iran.

Hamas is funded, advised, and nominally led by Iran. Iran created Hezbollah in Lebanon and its leadership. Iran supplies the Houthis in Yemen. 

So when Hamas attacked Israel, the Israeli Defense Forces went after Hamas, but the senior leadership knew it was Tehran ultimately responsible. While Israel destroyed Hamas and then Hezbollah, Iran was losing its proxies

So, when President Biden asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to attack the Iranian nuclear facilities in order not to trigger a war with Iran, Netanyahu had other ideas.

Iran Caught Between A Lie and A Hard Place:

But Taleghan 2 was not part of Iran’s declared nuclear program, so the Iranians couldn’t acknowledge the significance of the attack without admitting they violated the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. Netanyahu and the IAF destroyed a facility designed to obliterate the Jewish state. 

F-35I Adir. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

F-35I Adir. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

And the message to Tehran from Tel Aviv is that they penetrated the highest level of Iran’s government secrets. And that they can go 20 miles from Tehran and eliminate a key nuclear facility without loss to their own forces. 

US And Israeli Intelligence Were Aware For Months

The Biden administration sent a private warning to Iran back in June, expressing serious concerns about Iranian research and development activities that could be used for the production of a nuclear weapon.

Rafael Mariano Grossi, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), who visited Tehran in November, said, “The fact that international tensions and regional tensions do exist——this shows that the space for negotiation and diplomacy is not getting bigger, it is getting smaller.”

Israel’s war against Hamas has destroyed Gaza, and the terrorist organization is a shell of its former self. They can and are rebuilding their forces, but they will not have a country to call their own despite the ceasefire.

F-35I Adir. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

F-35I Adir serving in Israel’s Air Force. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Hezbollah’s leadership has been decapitated. The international community will now focus on the Houthis

Iran, if it persists in building nuclear weapons, will pay the price again for its actions.

About the Author: 

Steve Balestrieri is a 19FortyFive National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing for 19FortyFive, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in other military publications.

Written By

Steve Balestrieri is a 1945 National Security Columnist. He has served as a US Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer before injuries forced his early separation. In addition to writing for 1945, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and his work was regularly featured in the Millbury-Sutton Chronicle and Grafton News newspapers in Massachusetts.

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