Israel’s Operation Rising Lion lays bare Iran’s nuclear web: Satellite images reveal direct strikes that Tehran won’t admit

In one of the most direct attacks on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure to date, Israel’s military has targeted key facilities with precision airstrikes, according to satellite imagery analysed by The Associated Press and Maxar Technologies. Images taken after the strikes reveal widespread destruction at some of Iran’s most sensitive nuclear and ballistic missile sites, marking a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict.

Damage is clearly visible at the sprawling Natanz nuclear enrichment facility, located southwest of Tehran. Multiple buildings at the site were either damaged or completely destroyed, including structures reportedly supplying power to centrifuge halls. While the underground enrichment units appear untouched for now, analysts warn that any disruption to their power supply could critically damage uranium centrifuges.

Planet Labs imagery also revealed large burn marks at a missile base in Kermanshah, built against a mountainside, and visible strike damage at another base in Tabriz, both in western Iran.

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Israel claims strategic wins in ‘Operation Rising Lion’

The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) confirmed it had launched coordinated airstrikes across Iran under Operation Rising Lion. “Throughout the night, Israeli Air Force fighter jets flew over Tehran, attacking infrastructure and targets related to Iran’s nuclear project,” the IDF said in a statement.

About 50 fighter jets reportedly participated in the mission, with more than 80 strategic targets hit. These included the Iranian Ministry of Defence headquarters, the Sepand complex associated with nuclear research, and locations where Israel claims Iran hid nuclear archives.The IDF said the strikes aimed to “strip [Iran] of vital weapons production capabilities and components.”

Iran vows retaliation as death toll mounts

Iran has acknowledged Israeli strikes in the region but not the scale of the damage. Iranian authorities confirmed 78 people were killed and 320 wounded in the initial wave of Israeli attacks. Among the dead are several top nuclear scientists and commanders from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

In retaliation, Iran fired dozens of ballistic missiles at Israeli cities, killing 13 people and injuring at least 180. Six civilians, including two children, were killed in Bat Yam near Tel Aviv. In the northern city of Tamra, four more people, including a teenager, lost their lives.

Tehran’s response came with a warning. A statement from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards declared that “sites used by Israeli aircraft for refuelling” had been struck. It added, “If attacks continue, we will respond more fiercely and more broadly.”

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Netanyahu vows more strikes

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made clear the campaign was far from over. “This is nothing compared to what they will feel under the sway of our forces in the coming days,” he warned.

He directly addressed Iranian citizens, saying, “Our fight is not with you. Our fight is with the brutal dictatorship that has oppressed you for 46 years. I believe that the day of your liberation is near. And when that happens, the great friendship between our two ancient peoples will flourish once again.”

Netanyahu added that Israel would never allow “the world’s most dangerous regime” to possess “the world’s most dangerous weapons.”

Destruction at Iran’s nuclear core

The Natanz facility – long seen as Iran’s central enrichment site – suffered the most visible damage. Satellite images showed fires near the above-ground Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant (PFEP), while reports suggest the main underground Fuel Enrichment Plant (FEP) may still be operational. But experts say that if power to the underground site has been cut, centrifuge damage may be unavoidable.

Maxar Technologies’ high-resolution images revealed multiple destroyed or burning structures. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) later confirmed that a “key, above-ground component” at Natanz had been destroyed.

The IAEA chief, Rafael Grossi, condemned the targeting of nuclear sites, warning that such attacks could have “grave consequences for the people of Iran, the region, and beyond.” He added that no radiation leaks had yet been detected.

The Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), a Washington-based think tank, said the loss of power to the enrichment site could severely disrupt Iran’s nuclear operations.

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Iran’s expanding nuclear network

Iran’s nuclear programme has grown in scale and secrecy. Beyond Natanz, satellite images show possible strike damage at the Fordow fuel enrichment plant, the IRGC’s Ghadir site, and the Piranshahr nuclear facility.

The Fordow plant is buried deep in the mountains near Qom and is believed to house over 1,000 centrifuges, including IR-6 machines capable of enriching uranium to 60% purity. Its deep underground location makes it one of Iran’s most fortified facilities.

At the Isfahan site, a Uranium Conversion Facility processes yellowcake into gaseous uranium hexafluoride – the feedstock for enrichment. In recent years, Iran has doubled its number of IR-6 centrifuges here.

Other facilities include Khondab near Arak, which once housed a plutonium-producing reactor now rendered inoperable, and the Bushehr nuclear power plant in the south, operated with Russian assistance.

What’s at stake

Iran insists its nuclear activities are for civilian use. But Israeli and Western officials remain unconvinced. The IAEA has estimated Iran has accumulated enough uranium enriched to 60% purity to make several nuclear bombs if further refined to 90%.

As recently as early 2024, experts warned that Iran’s nuclear “breakout time” – the time required to produce one nuclear weapon – had shrunk from over a year to just a few weeks.

While Israel views these developments as an existential threat, Iran sees its nuclear programme as a deterrent.

Tehran’s skies lit up with explosions early Friday morning. Air raid sirens rang out. In the Chitgar district, thick smoke rose into the air, although no known nuclear facilities exist there.

Both Iran and Israel closed their airspace following the strikes. Emergency protocols were activated on all borders.

In a stark warning, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said, “Following the State of Israel’s preemptive strike against Iran, a missile and drone attack against the State of Israel and its civilian population is expected in the immediate future.”

As satellite images continue to surface, they show the cost of the most extensive Israeli operation on Iranian soil in years. The campaign has shaken regional stability and triggered fears of wider conflict.

World powers have urged restraint, with Washington walking a diplomatic tightrope. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the United States bears responsibility, accusing it of a “partnership in aggression.”

The strikes may have slowed Iran’s nuclear progress, but they have also hardened resolve in Tehran. With no ceasefire in sight, the region braces for the next move in a dangerous game of escalation.