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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Satellite Images reveal key Iranian Military Sites as potential attack targets

2025-03-23

[KhaamaPress] Satellite images show two key Iranian military sites—Parchin and Khojir—as potential targets for future Israeli or U.S. strikes.

The Alma Research Institute in Israel has reported an enhancement of Iran’s air defense systems around its key military facilities, including the Parchin and Khojir complexes. These installations are seen as potential targets for future strikes by Israel or the United States.

The institute highlighted the presence of numerous missile defense systems and radar installations in southeastern Tehran, safeguarding crucial sites like the Khojir missile production facility and the Parchin nuclear site. The Khojir complex is pivotal to Iran’s ballistic missile development, while Parchin is known for its role in advancing the country’s nuclear weapons program.

Alma further noted that both Parchin and Khojir were damaged in a previous Israeli attack, known as "Scorpion," though the facilities resumed operations after repairs. Some air defense systems at these locations survived the attack, according to satellite images released by the institute.

Israeli fighter jets conducted multiple strikes on Iranian military targets, including missile production sites and nuclear-related facilities, in early October. The strikes reportedly destroyed nearly all of Iran’s air defense systems, including its S-300 missile batteries.

Satellite imagery from Planet Labs and other sources revealed that Israel targeted critical sites, such as the Talqan nuclear facility, missile motor production buildings, and military complexes near Tehran. These facilities are linked to missile production and Iran’s nuclear weapons development.

Additionally, Axios reported that an ultra-secret research center related to Iran’s nuclear weapons program was destroyed in the attacks on Parchin. The destruction of this facility raises concerns about the security of Iran’s sensitive military and nuclear sites.

How secret can it have been, if the IAF went straight for it last year? Oh wait — remember when Mossad emptied out the warehouse archive of Iran’s nuclear program a decade ago?

According to Israel’s Channel 14, the Khojir and Parchin facilities are now considered high-value targets for potential future attacks. The institute’s satellite images indicate that these sites remain vulnerable and may become the focus of further operations by Israel or the U.S.

The ongoing situation has prompted discussions about U.S. involvement in responding to Iranian actions. Former President Donald Trump
...The tack in the backside of the Democratic Party...
recently warned Iran
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate ~~Jews~~ ~~Zionists~~ Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
about supporting the Iran's Houthi sock puppets

...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews They like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him...
s in Yemen
...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of...
, signaling possible future actions if Tehran continues its support of the militia.

The evolving air defense and military infrastructure around Iran’s key sites signify rising tensions in the region. These developments reflect the ongoing standoff between Israel, the U.S., and Iran, as both sides prepare for potential escalation. The situation remains volatile, with the Houthis’ continued provocations adding another layer of complexity to the geopolitical crisis.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Knesset speech: Netanyahu says Biden’s counsel throughout the war was repeatedly off-mark

2024-11-19

[IsraelTimes] PM confirms that a ‘specific component’ in Iran’s nuclear program was hit in last month’s strikes, in Knesset speech repeatedly interrupted by family members of hostages

Speaking nearly two weeks after the US election, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeatedly criticized the Biden administration’s judgment and policies at major junctions in Israel’s ongoing war against Iran and its proxies.

“The US had reservations and suggested that we not enter Gaza,” said Netanyahu in the Knesset plenum on Monday. “It had reservations about entering Gaza City, Khan Younis, and, most critically, strongly opposed entry into Rafah.”

Administration officials had publicly urged Israel to calibrate its Rafah offensive to minimize civilian harm.

“President Biden told me that if we go in, we will be alone,” Netanyahu said. “He also said that he would stop shipments of important weapons to us. And so he did. A few days later, [US Secretary of State Antony] Blinken appeared and repeated the same things and I told him — we will fight with our nails.”

The US withheld a single shipment of 2,000-lb bombs, allowing all other weapon transfers to continue.

Netanyahu also criticized US positions after Iran’s drone and missile attacks on Israel: “Again, we were told by our friend that there is no need to respond. And I said that sitting and not reacting is not acceptable, and we responded.”

‘SPECIFIC COMPONENT’ IN IRAN NUKE PROGRAM HIT
The prime minister said that the Israeli response last month took out air defense batteries and “inflicted real damage on Iran’s ballistic missile production capability,” as well as targeting its nuclear program.

“It’s not a secret, it has been published,” Netanyahu said. “There is a specific component in their nuclear program that was hit in this attack.”

However, Netanyahu added that Iran’s path to a nuclear weapon has not been blocked. “We’ve delayed it… but it has progressed” over the past few years, he said. Iran has “advanced its enrichment; it still has a long way to go in other areas.” The imperative to stop Iran’s march to the bomb “is on us,” he said.

Israel’s April strike on Iran, Netanyahu said, took out one of four Russian-supplied S-300 surface-to-air missile defense batteries around Tehran. In October, Israel destroyed the remaining three batteries and caused serious damage to Iran’s ballistic missile production capabilities and its ability to produce solid fuel, which is used in long-range ballistic missiles.

Last week, the Axios news site revealed that Israel destroyed an active nuclear weapons research facility in Parchin during last month’s attack on Iran.

Addressing attempts to reach a ceasefire in Lebanon, Netanyahu said: “The most important thing is not (the deal that) will be put down on paper.”

Rather, he said, “We will be compelled to ensure our security in the north (of Israel) and to systematically carry out operations against Hezbollah’s attacks… even after a ceasefire,” to keep it from rebuilding.

Netanyahu also said there was no evidence that Hezbollah would respect any ceasefire reached, and stressed: “We will not allow Hezbollah to return to the state it was in on October 6, 2023.”

HOPES FOR PROGRESS ON HOSTAGES
Netanyahu’s address was interrupted repeatedly by opposition lawmakers and by protesters in the gallery who laid out posters with the faces of hostages held in Gaza. Some were ejected by Knesset security.

Netanyahu told the Knesset plenum that he had met with aides and members of security services until 3 a.m. a night earlier to discuss new ways to get hostages home.

“To date, we have brought back 154,” he said. “117 alive, and another 37, unfortunately, no longer alive.”

He argued that senior US officials agree that maximum pressure must be applied on Hamas so that it will back off its “unrealistic” demands for a deal.

One challenge of the war that we won’t give up on, he said, is “how to extract from those murderers, from Hamas, how to extract from those tunnels, the rest of our hostages… Victory includes freeing the hostages. And we will achieve it as well,” he said.

“We will bring home dozens more hostages, I hope in the near future.”

He said the focus now is on harming Hamas’s ability to rule Gaza — a claim he has made for months.

“I asked the IDF to come up with an orderly plan to eradicate the governmental capacity, which is related to the denial of their ability to distribute humanitarian aid,” he said. “We want to ensure that the humanitarian aid is not looted by Hamas and others.”

‘THE PUBLIC IS NOT STUPID’
As he has done repeatedly in recent weeks, Netanyahu blasted the “countless leaks from the cabinet and the negotiating team.”

“The leaks seriously harm the chance of obtaining a deal for the release of hostages, they delay the release of our hostages,” he said.

While Netanyahu did not refer to the ongoing investigation of the alleged theft of IDF intelligence documents and the suspected leak of one of the documents by his former aide Eli Feldstein — who has been in detention for three weeks — he implied that there is a discriminatory focus in what the law enforcement authorities choose to investigate.

“I have called time after time for the phenomenon [of leaks from the cabinet and negotiating team] to be investigated,” he said. “I asked, how can it be that leaks that cause immense damage to the State of Israel are not investigated? I was told: You need to send a letter. So I sent a letter, setting out a range of terrible, criminal leaks, that do tremendous harm to Israel.”

He continued, “And yet, as of this moment, nobody has been investigated and nobody has been arrested [for those leaks]. Nobody’s life has been ruined,” he says, another implied reference to the ongoing detention of Feldstein. “Everybody understands what’s going on here. Nobody is stupid. The public is not stupid… The people are not stupid.”

Netanyahu says Israel moved up pager attack due to fears it was about to be exposed
[IsraelTimes] Israel decided to activate its pager attack on Hezbollah in September, ahead of time, because it was about to be discovered, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hints strongly in a Knesset speech.

His cabinet initially planned to launch an attack against Hezbollah in October, he says, but had to move up the planning “when our special means was about to be revealed.”

“From the moment I learned that this was about to be revealed, I decided that it was necessary to act immediately,” he claims. “There were those who argued that the US should be informed ahead of time. I argued that the US should not be informed because this could lead to either resistance or a leak, which is the same thing. A leak would have immediately demonstrated the effectiveness of the move. I denied it outright — and we acted.”

Netanyahu says that in the subsequent operations, 70-80 percent of Hezbollah rocket and missile capabilities were destroyed.

He also speaks about his deliberations ahead of the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah: “A legitimate argument arose that such an action could lead to the expansion of the campaign.”

“There was a completely legitimate debate, and there was also a second demand,” he continues. “The demand was to update and coordinate this attack with the US. Again, with all due respect to our friends in the US, I rejected it outright.”

He says that the debate over whether to strike Nasrallah continued on his September flight to New York ahead of his speech to the UN.

“Two hours later, I called the defense minister and IDF chief of staff, and said that we had to eliminate the man. When we landed in New York, we convened the [security cabinet]. There was almost an absolute majority. One person argued differently, but the entire cabinet got behind it, and we made the decision, it was carried out — and the rest is known.”

Netanyahu says Israel has destroyed all four of Iran’s S-300 batteries
[IsraelTimes] In his speech to the Knesset, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at length about the results of Israel’s two strikes on Iran, in response to ballistic missile and drone attacks in April and in October.

In response to the April attack, Israel destroyed one of the four S-300 air defense batteries around Tehran, he says.

In the second strike in late October, Israel destroyed the remaining three batteries, he says. Israel struck other air defense systems, and Iran’s missile production capabilities, he continues.

He also confirms an Axios report that the Israeli strikes destroyed an active nuclear weapons research facility in the Parchin military complex, outside of Tehran. “There is a certain element of the nuclear program that was damaged in this attack.”

Netanyahu says he has spoken about stopping Iran’s nuclear program recently with both US President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Iranian 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' Allowed Israel to Take Out Key Nuke Research Site

2024-11-17

[HotAir] Remember when Israel agreed to US terms to avoid nuclear sites while retaliating for Iran's massive ballistic missile attack? It turns out that the Iranians' attempts to play cute with the IAEA gave Israel an opening to destroy a key research facility -- and leave the Iranians unable to complain about it.

When the Iranians first began pursuing nuclear weapons, much of that work took place at a facility in Parchin. After their program got exposed, the Iranians shuttered Parchin and moved that work into more defensible locations. The Iranians have insisted ever since that Parchin no longer played an active role in nuclear research, but that turned out to be a lie, Axios reports. And both the US and Israel knew it:

Israeli and U.S. intelligence began detecting research activity at Parchin earlier this year, including Iranian scientists conducting computer modeling, metallurgy and explosive research that could be used for nuclear weapons.

Flashback: Last June, the White House officials privately warned the Iranians in direct conversations about the suspicious research activities, Axios reported.
The U.S. hoped the warning would make the Iranians stop their nuclear activity, but they continued, the officials said.

The concern over the Taleghan 2 facility at Parchin hit levels so high in US intelligence that they stopped reporting that they had no evidence of Iranian nuclear-weapons development. So when it came time to craft the response to the October 1 missile attacks, the Israelis had a golden opportunity to end that threat, or at least severely curtail it, without violating the agreement with the US. In any other administration, this would have had the blessing of the US, and perhaps it did:

President Biden asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to attack the Iranian nuclear facilities in order not to trigger a war with Iran, U.S. officials said.

But Taleghan 2 was not part of Iran's declared nuclear program so the Iranians wouldn't be able to acknowledge the significance of the attack without admitting they violated the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

Now the Iranians can't complain about this target, not unless it wants to admit to pursuing nuclear weapons. The realization of this loss could explain why the Iranians went from shrugging off the Israeli retaliation to threats of a counter-retaliation strike almost immediately. Iran
Iran

"The strike was a not so subtle message that the Israelis have significant insight into the Iranian system even when it comes to things that were kept top secret and known to a very small group of people in the Iranian government," a U.S. official said.

That might have the Iranians thinking veeeerrrrrry carefully about escalation, too. Not only will the incoming US administration be much less likely to hold Israel back on target selection, they have to wonder what other targets Israel has in mind. They have already sussed out the activity at Parchin, which can't have been too big of a surprise after the American warning about it earlier in the year. The Israelis also penetrated the IRGC's security in successfully assassinating Ismail Haniyeh
...became Prime Minister of Gaza after the legislative elections of 2006 which Hamas won. President Mahmoud Abbas dismissed Haniyeh from office on 14 June 2007 at the height of the Fatah-Hamas festivities, but Haniyeh did not acknowledge the decree and continues as the PM of Gazoo while Abbas maintains a separate PM in the West Bank...
in Tehran this summer. Without American pressure to avoid truly escalatory blows, Israel might just start hitting places where Iranian leadership hides out, as well as IRGC command and control functions.

At least this answers questions that arose after the retaliatory attack, when some of us scratched our heads over targeting selection. The real threats to Israel in Iran are the nuclear weapons and the leadership, so it didn't make sense to leave both untouched with this opportunity. The Iranians know the Israelis did attack and damage the former, and now have to decide whether to provoke Israeli into seriously attacking the latter.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

IAF hit secret Iranian nuclear research facility during October operation - report

2024-11-15

[Jpost] The Israel Air Force allegedly struck one of Iran's secret nuclear research facilities as part of an operation that took place at the end of October, according to a Friday Axios report that cited former and current US and Israeli officials.

According to the report, the attack caused significant damage to the site in the Parchin military complex, about 20 kilometers southeast of Tehran.

The strike dealt a severe blow to Iran’s nuclear development efforts, the officials cited in the report claimed.

The facility was allegedly part of the Iranian Amad nuclear weapons program until 2003. It was then used for testing explosives needed to set off a nuclear device, the report added, citing the Institute for Science and International Security.

IRAN DECLINES TO COMMENT
Axios also noted that a former Israeli official briefed on the strike said Israel destroyed sophisticated equipment that was required and necessary for the nuclear devices.

Additionally, the report said that Iran has allegedly denied using nuclear weapons. It also mentioned that the Iranian mission to the UN declined to comment on the Axios report.

PJ Media adds:

"One former Israeli official briefed on the strike said it destroyed sophisticated equipment used to design the plastic explosives that surround uranium in a nuclear device and are needed to detonate it."

Iran claims to have brought its military nuclear program to a halt in 2003, and yet the Taleghan 2 building at Parchin "was used for testing explosives needed to set off a nuclear device, according to the Institute for Science and International Security."

"They conducted scientific activity that could lay the ground for the production of a nuclear weapon. It was a top-secret thing. A small part of the Iranian government knew about this, but most of the Iranian government didn't," a U.S. official told Axios.

What's interesting is that Israel knew about a nuclear weapons research facility that most of the Iranian government did not.

There's also the small matter of Iran's missile production, which was hobbled in the same October air raid that destroyed Iran's Parchin Military Complex. Three weeks ago, "multiple reports citing Israeli, American and Iranian officials," plus satellite imagery, revealed that Israel's Oct. 26 air raid "crippled Iran’s ability to produce long-range ballistic missiles."

"The Axios news site cited Israeli sources and a US official as saying Iran can’t produce the mixers [for solid rocket fuel] on its own and must acquire them from China, which may take more than a year," and that it would "take two years to repair the factory."

Whatever missiles Iran has on hand now is about all they'll have for a while.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

IAF hit secret Iranian nuclear research facility during October operation - report

2024-11-16

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Is Israel ready to hit Iran's nuclear sites?

2024-11-13

Useful for the list and descriptions. A basic map and a few photos can be seen at the link.

[DW] Newly appointed Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has said the time is right for launching military strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities.

Israel's new defense minister said on Monday that Iran was "more exposed than ever to strikes on its nuclear facilities."

"We have the opportunity to achieve our most important goal — to thwart and eliminate the existential threat to the State of Israel," Defense Minister Israel Katz wrote on X.

Tensions between Israel and Iran are running high after both sides traded tit-for-tat missiles strikes, sparking fears of a wider Middle East war.

Israel has for years accused Iran of seeking to build nuclear weapons.

According to recent reports by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran is rapidly advancing its atomic program, enriching uranium up to 60%, just 30% below the grade needed for atomic weapons.

Iran has repeatedly denied the claims that it is seeking to acquire nuclear weapons.

Katz replaced Yoav Gallant as Israel's defense minister last week after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired Gallant, citing disagreements over domestic political issues as well as the military campaign in Gaza.

Iran has spread its nuclear facilities over a number of sites and built some in underground bunkers, making it more difficult to destroy them completely.

Here's an overview of Iran's nuclear facilities.

NATANZ
Located around 300 kilometers (180 miles) south of Tehran in the province of Isfahan, Natanz is the main center for uranium enrichment in Iran. It's here that the nuclear program operates centrifuges that enrich uranium for civilian and, potentially, military purposes.

The facility is housed in underground bunkers to protect it from airstrikes. Natanz has been the target of several acts of sabotage attributed to Israel, including the use of the Stuxnet virus, explosions and power outages. The facility's air defense system was reportedly disabled in April.

ISFAHAN
The Nuclear Technology Center in the city of Isfahan is a uranium processing plant that prepares the radioactive material for enrichment. Here, uranium oxide, also known as yellowcake, is converted into uranium tetrafluoride (UF4) and uranium hexafluoride (UF6). This chemical compound is used in centrifuges for uranium enrichment.

SAGHAND
This uranium mine is located in the desert region of Yazd province, around 200 kilometers northeast of the city of Yazd. The mine is one of the few known uranium mining sites in Iran and supplies the raw uranium that is used for the country's nuclear program.

BUSHEHR
Iran's first civilian nuclear power plant is located on the coast of the Persian Gulf in southern Iran,and is used to generate electricity. It is not used for military purposes.

TEHRAN
The Tehran Research Reactor is a research facility in Tehran, mainly used for the production of medical radioisotopes which are used in cancer treatment and nuclear medicine diagnostics.

The Tehran Research Reactor played a central role during the negotiations on the 2015 nuclear agreement, as it could be used not only for medical purposes but also potentially for military applications if highly enriched uranium were used.

PARCHIN
This facility, about 30 kilometers southeast of Tehran, officially serves as a test site for conventional weapons and missiles. However, there are reports suggesting that activities related to the development of nuclear weapons may also be taking place in Parchin.

KARAJ
A research center for nuclear technologies in the fields of agriculture and medicine is located near the city of Karaj, about 40 kilometers west of Tehran. According to reports, this facility could also be used for the production and development of centrifuges for uranium enrichment.

In June 2021, the facility was the target of a sabotage attempt, which, according to Iranian sources, was unsuccessful.

QOM
The Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant is located around 160 kilometers south of Tehran, near the city of Qom. It's housed in a mountain to protect it from air attacks. This site produces highly enriched uranium.

ARAK
A heavy water reactor in the city of Arak, around 240 kilometers west of Tehran, has the potential to produce plutonium suitable for the construction of nuclear weapons.

However, following the 2015 nuclear agreement, the reactor was modified to rule out this possibility.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Satellite images show damage at two secretive Iranian bases after Israeli strikes

2024-10-28

Especially for Old Patriot, and anyone else interested in images of afterward. In addition to the tweets below, there are more photos at the article links. Happy comparing!

[IsraelTimes] Attack damaged Parchin military base, previously linked to push for nuclear weapons, and Khojir base, believed to hold missile production sites; UN watchdog: Nuclear sites untouched

Israel’s attack on Iran early Saturday damaged facilities at a secretive military base southeast of the Iranian capital that experts in the past have linked to a nuclear weapons program, as well as at another base tied to its ballistic missile program, satellite photos analyzed Sunday by The Associated Press show.

Some of the buildings damaged sat in Iran’s Parchin military base, where the International Atomic Energy Agency suspects Iran in the past conducted tests of high explosives that could trigger a nuclear weapon.

The IAEA, US intelligence and others say Iran had a comprehensive nuclear weapons program that it shuttered in 2003. Iran denies having such a program, while Jerusalem says Tehran has never fully abandoned it, pointing to current uranium enrichment levels that have no civilian use.

More damage from Israel’s attack on Saturday — which was a response to an Iranian barrage of some 200 ballistic missiles earlier this month — could be seen at the nearby Khojir military base, a sprawling missile production site near Tehran that analysts believe hides an underground tunnel system and missile production sites.

Iran’s military has not acknowledged damage at either Khojir or Parchin from Israel’s attack, though it has said the assault killed four Iranian soldiers working in the country’s air defense systems.

Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Israeli military declined to comment.

However, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday told an audience that the Israeli attack “should not be exaggerated nor downplayed,” while stopping short of calling for an immediate retaliatory strike.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu separately said Sunday that Israel’s strikes “severely harmed” Iran and that the barrage “achieved all its goals.”

@planet 3m imagery taken this morning of Khojir and Parchin missile production facilities show precise strikes on warehouses and mixing buildings associated with the production of solid-fueled ballistic missiles. pic.twitter.com/Qpodu4pN5m
— Decker Eveleth (@dex_eve) October 26, 2024

DAMAGE SPREAD ACROSS THREE IRANIAN PROVINCES
It remains unclear how many sites in total were targeted in the Israeli attack. There have been no images of damage so far released by Iran’s military.

Iranian officials have identified affected areas as being in Ilam, Khuzestan and Tehran provinces. Burned fields could be seen in satellite images from Planet Labs PBC around Iran’s Tange Bijar natural gas production site in Ilam province, on the Iran-Iraq border, on Saturday, though it wasn’t immediately clear if it was related to the attack.

The most telling damage could be seen in Planet Labs images of Parchin, some 40 kilometers (25 miles) southeast of downtown Tehran near the Mamalu Dam. There, one structure appeared to be totally destroyed while others looked damaged in the attack.

At Khojir, some 20 kilometers (12 miles) away from downtown Tehran, damage could be seen on at least two structures in satellite images.

Analysts including Decker Eveleth at the Virginia-based think tank CNA, Joe Truzman at the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies and former United Nations weapon inspector David Albright, as well as other open-source experts, first identified the damage to the bases.

The locations of the two bases correspond to videos obtained by the AP showing Iranian air defense systems firing in the vicinity early Saturday.

Satellite images provided to me by a source reveal that the Parchin military base, east of Tehran, was targeted overnight by the IAF. The image on the left depicts the site prior to the strike, while the post-strike image on the right indicates two areas affected by an attack. pic.twitter.com/Um2WbPh0Y6
— Joe Truzman (@JoeTruzman) October 26, 2024

BASE LINKED TO PAST IRANIAN NUCLEAR WEAPONS ACTIVITY
At Parchin, Albright’s Institute for Science and International Security identified the destroyed building against a mountainside as “Taleghan 2.” It said an archive of Iranian nuclear data earlier seized by Israel identified the building as housing “a smaller, elongated high explosive chamber and a flash X-ray system to examine small-scale high explosive tests.”

“Such tests may have included high explosives compressing a core of natural uranium, simulating the initiation of a nuclear explosive,” a 2018 report by the institute says.

In a message posted to the social platform X early Sunday, the institute added: “It is not certain whether Iran used uranium at ‘Taleghan 2,’ but it is possible it studied the compression of natural uranium hemispheres, which would explain its hasty and secretive renovation efforts following the IAEA’s request to access Parchin in 2011.”

It’s unclear what, if any, equipment would have been inside of the “Taleghan 2″ building early Saturday. There were no Israeli strikes on Iran’s oil industry, nor its nuclear enrichment sites or its nuclear power plant at Bushehr during the assault.

Rafael Mariano Grossi, who leads the IAEA, confirmed that on X, saying “Iran’s nuclear facilities have not been impacted.”

“Inspectors are safe and continue their vital work,” he added. “I call for prudence and restraint from actions that could jeopardize the safety & security of nuclear & other radioactive materials.”

DAMAGE SEEN AT FACILITIES FOR IRAN’S BALLISTIC MISSILE PROGRAM
Other buildings destroyed at Khojir and Parchin likely included a warehouse and other buildings where Iran used industrial mixers to create the solid fuel needed for its extensive ballistic missile arsenal, Eveleth said.

In a statement issued immediately after the attack Saturday, the Israeli military said it targeted “missile manufacturing facilities used to produce the missiles that Iran fired at the State of Israel over the last year.”

Destroying such sites could greatly disrupt Iran’s ability to manufacture new ballistic missiles to replenish its arsenal after its two attacks on Israel, on April 14 and October 1. Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which oversees the country’s ballistic missile program, has been silent since Saturday’s attack.

Iran’s overall ballistic missile arsenal, which includes shorter-range missiles unable to reach Israel, was estimated to be “over 3,000” by General Kenneth McKenzie, then-commander of the US military’s Central Command, in testimony to the US Senate in 2022. In the time since, Iran has fired hundreds of the missiles in a series of attacks.

There have been no videos or photos posted to social media of missile parts or damage in civilian neighborhoods following the recent attack — suggesting that the Israeli strikes were far more accurate that Iran’s ballistic missile barrages targeting Israel in April and October. Israel relied on aircraft-fired missiles during its attack.

However, one factory appeared to have been hit in Shamsabad Industrial City, just south of Tehran near Imam Khomeini International Airport, the country’s main gateway to the outside world.

Online videos of the damaged building corresponded to an address for a firm known as TIECO, which advertises itself as building advanced machinery used in Iran’s oil and gas industry.

Officials at TIECO requested the AP write the company a letter before responding to questions. The firm did not immediately reply to a letter sent to it.

More from the Times of Israel:

While the damage from Israel’s attack is clearly extensive, the fact that most of the damage was away from population centers and was limited to military bases leaves the Iranians room to say that the strikes were unsuccessful, or that they don’t need to respond.

HIDDEN DAMAGE
Israel may have also attacked sites in Iran that the regime is unlikely to reveal to the public, some of which are secretive and related to the country’s nuclear project.

One such target may have been in the city of Karaj, northwest of Tehran, where Israel struck a number of anti-aircraft batteries. Karaj, however, is home to the centrifuge industry of Iran’s nuclear system, and it is entirely possible that Israel’s strikes in the city were not limited to the missile systems.

The Karaj centrifuge facility has been targeted in the past, with a major attack in 2021 being widely attributed to Israel though it never claimed responsibility.

According to a report in the New York Times, Israeli also targeted the secretive Parchin military base on the outskirts of Tehran on Saturday. The report cited Iranian officials as saying that the site was hit during the Israeli attack.

Satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press show damage to the Parchin base, where the International Atomic Energy Agency has accused Iran of conducting tests of high explosives that could trigger a nuclear weapon. Iran long has insisted its nuclear program is peaceful, though the IAEA, Western intelligence agencies and others say Tehran had an active weapons program at least up until 2003.

The site came under renewed scrutiny by the International Atomic Energy Agency in 2015 when Tehran reached a landmark deal with major powers under which it agreed to curb its nuclear activities under UN supervision in return for the lifting of international sanctions. The deal has since fallen apart.

Iran had previously denied the IAEA access to Parchin, insisting it was a military site unrelated to any nuclear activities, but the agency’s then-chief, the late Yukiya Amano, paid a visit to the site. The IAEA reported finding traces of enriched uranium in soil samples taken from the site, but Iran has consistently denied the validity of those findings.

Since then, there has been continued suspicion that Iran uses the site for nuclear detonation research, and Israel’s reported targeting of the site this weekend may renew international interest in the facility.

GROUNDWORK FOR THE NEXT ATTACK
The main target of the Israeli attack, Iran’s air defense systems and missile industry, laid the groundwork for the next attack. The alleged damage to Iran’s flagship air-defense systems, the Russian-made S-300, allows Israel greater freedom of action over Iranian skies.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Iran had four S-300 systems before the attack, and that all four were destroyed by Israel, citing an Israeli official.

The attacks on the air defenses caused “deep alarm” in Iran, The New York Times reported, citing three unnamed Iranian officials — one from the country’s oil ministry — since it rendered key energy sites defenseless to future strikes.

Israel also reportedly delivered a “crippling” blow to Iran’s missile industry, striking at least 12 planetary mixers used to make solid fuel used in long-range ballistic missiles, reports said, with some putting the number of mixers struck at 20.

The Saudi Elaph news site reported, citing an unnamed informed source, that the heavy fuel mixers had been used to power Khaybar and Qassem missiles, ballistic missiles that were launched at Israel in the Iranian strike earlier this month.

The source claimed it would take two years to repair the factory, which was completely destroyed. It did not say where the factory was located.

The Axios news site cited Israeli sources and a US official as saying Iran can’t produce the mixers on its own and must acquire them from China, which may take more than a year. The report also said the development would limit Tehran’s ability to supply ballistic missiles to its proxies, such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthi rebels, both terror groups.

AMERICA’S DECISION TIME
As much as the United States tries to tread lightly regarding the Iranian issue, it seems that the Israeli strikes are pushing the US, regardless of who the next president is, toward a decision on a new policy regarding Iran.

The current situation, where Iran is very close to acquiring nuclear weapons capabilities — posing threats to regional countries, global fuel supplies, shipping lanes and US interests — even as it engages in direct and indirect conflict with Israel, makes it much more than just background noise. The US knows this situation needs to be resolved.

So far, Washington has refrained from making direct threats against Tehran, both declaratively and practically, even in recent weeks. According to sources in Israel, this must change.

Now that Israel has officially struck in Iran for the first time, and did so in compliance with the Biden administration’s stringent conditions, it expects an appropriate change in US policy.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

'Backbone of Iran's missile industry' destroyed by IAF strikes on Islamic Republic, looks like IAF attack was preparation

2024-10-27

Good news follow up to yesterday’s excitements.

[JPost] The targets struck were sophisticated equipment that Iran could not produce on its own.

The Israel Air Force struck a dozen targets in Iran that were used to produce solid fuel for long-range ballistic missiles as part of its retaliatory military action against the Islamic Republic, severely harming Tehran's ability to replenish its inventory, Israeli media reported on Saturday night.

The targets struck were sophisticated equipment that Iran could not produce on its own and had to be purchased from China, Walla reported. The targets were a critical component of Iran's ballistic missile program, Walla cited three anonymous Israeli sources as saying.

Israeli sources also stated that four S-300 air defense batteries were attacked that were in strategic locations that protected nuclear and energy facilities in Tehran during the operation. A factory for the production of drones and a facility in the Parchin military complex were also attacked, the latter of which saw in the past research and development activities for nuclear weapons.

The Arabic independent online newspaper Elaph reported Israel targeted a secret ballistic missile factory in Iran,

Secret? As in, nobody knew about it except a few select Iranians and Mossad? Whoops!

destroying a large number of heavy fuel mixers used to power Kheibar and Haj Qasem missiles - both of which were fired by Iran at Israel at the beginning of the month. The report also claimed that the S-300 air defense batteries that were attacked were Russian-made and destroyed radars that feed these systems and others in Syria and Iraq.

The report said that the ballistic missile factory was completely destroyed. One source told Elaph that it was the "backbone of Iran's missile industry" and that Israel had "put it out of service," also reporting that each heavy fuel mixer destroyed was estimated to be at least two million dollars and about twenty mixers of this type were destroyed.

While Walla reported that production to restore such equipment would reportedly take at least one year, informed sources on the Iranian missile industry told Elaph that it would take at least two years to return the destroyed factory to service.

It depends on how much outside interference the site experiences, I suspect. Hey, Yossi — interested in taking another flight into the wild blue yonder?

Overall, more than 100 Israeli aircraft participated in the attack on Iranian targets, Ynet reported, stating that their mission was to hit the most advanced anti-aircraft systems of the Islamic Republic and develop air superiority there for any possible upcoming IAF operations - in such a way that Israeli fighter jets would be able to fly even at a relatively low altitude in the skies of Tehran itself in the future.

Courtesy of Fred:

[PUBLISH.TWITTER]

Looks like Israel's 🇮🇱 attack was a “preparation”:

📡 Destroyed air defense en route to Iran in Syria 🇸🇾 & Iraq 🇮🇶

📡 Destroyed radars of S-300 & S-400 air defense in Iran 🇮🇷

Now that Iran's air defense is fully blinded, Israel can freely attack its nuclear facilities.
_ pic.twitter.com/1ONgNizZw6
— Dr. Eli David (@DrEliDavid) October 26, 2024

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Round-up as of the midnight (ET) rollover: Israel Attacks Iran, Explosions Heard In Tehran

2024-10-26

Whew! So many submissions on this story, and some duplicates. I recommend taking your time to open the links at the bottom to see what updates each has added, and then review our comments to see what more our commenters have brought back to the Burg to share. :-) See also here for the Israeli side of things, now that the exercise is complete, and note here that Iraq closed their airspace and here that America sent the 480th fighter squadron to Saudi Arabia — it seems they specialize in enemy air defence suppression, which is interesting. Go Team!

[ZeroHedge] Israeli Forces Attack Iran With "Precise Strikes On Military Targets" In Retaliatory Response

Israel attacked Iran early Saturday morning local time with what it's referred to as "precise strikes on Iranian military targets," weeks after the Islamic Republic fired around 180 ballistic missiles towards Israel on Oct. 1. Blasts were reported near the headquarters of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.

In a rare announcement, the Israeli military said its strikes are underway, and that their "offensive and defensive capabilities are fully mobilized," while the WSJ reports that Israel gave the US advance notice.

"We were aware in advance," said a US official.

The Israel Defense Force has confirmed the start of Offensive Operations against Iran. pic.twitter.com/g5vtzRtVM9
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) October 25, 2024

According to unconfirmed reports, several explosions have been heard in Tehran. According to journalist Reza Rashidpour, five large explosions were heard in the city within around 10 seconds, while Iranian Air Force jets have taken off in the western part of the country, the NY Times reports.

Huge explosions in Tehran! pic.twitter.com/sMQoPdB7JI

— Israel News Pulse (@israelnewspulse) October 25, 2024
According to the Times:

Residents of Tehran reported hearing multiple explosions in and around the Iranian capital, and Iranian state media sites said the explosions were near or at Imam Khomeini international airport.

Maryam Naraghi, an Iranian journalist, said she heard large explosions in the eastern part of Tehran, where she lives. “It was the sound of bombs and explosions,” she said. “It was very close to where I am in the eastern part of the city.” The area includes military bases and the secretive military site Parchin.

Another Iranian journalist, Reza Rashidpour, said five massive explosions were heard in Tehran within about 10 seconds. He said Iranian air force jets had taken off in the western part of the country.

Iranians have also reported hearing explosions in Isfahan, Mashhad, and Kurdistan province, while two senior Arab officials told NBC News that the initial strike on Tehran targeted barracks and a weapons depot.

Israeli planes crossed the Syrian-Jordanian border towards Iraq pic.twitter.com/WWDiG9x1Lj
— S p r i n t e r (@SprinterFamily) October 25, 2024

#BREAKING: Sirens are wailing in Tehran. pic.twitter.com/5T6JD1P4j7
— Clash Report (@clashreport) October 25, 2024

Tehran has threatened to target Gulf states and other US allies if their territories or airspace are used to attack Iran - while Israel assured the US that it wouldn't strike Iran's oil or nuclear facilities.

As Axios reports, US and Israeli officials believe Iran will respond military - but hope it will be 'constrained' in order to put an end to the tit-for-tat (ok).

Driving the news: The U.S. military boosted its forces in the region in the last few weeks ahead of Israel's possible attack on Iran.

U.S. officials said the goal was to deter Iran from responding and help Israel defend itself from another Iranian missile barrage.

President Biden and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin decided to deploy a THAAD missile defense system in Israel with a crew of U.S. military operators.

That means U.S. soldiers could actively engage in the fighting between Israel and Iran on Israeli soil.

On Friday, several hours before the Israeli strike, CENTCOM announced that U.S. Air Force F-16s from the 480th Fighter Squadron based at Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany had arrived in U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility.

Meanwhile, the FBI is investigating a leak of top secret US intelligence documents that revealed part of Israel's upcoming strike on Iran.

Israel strikes Syria, Iraq as part of broad response to Iran
[Jpost] Israel struck several targets across Syria and Iraq as part of its wide-reaching response to Iran.

Israel struck several targets across Syria and Iraq as part of its wide-reaching response to Iran on Saturday.

In Syria, Israel struck military targets across the center and south of the country, Syrian media confirmed.

There were early reports of explosions outside Damascus, which the Syrian Military said was a result of Syrian air defense interceptions.

"Around 02:00, [Israel] carried out an air strike against several military sites in the southern and central region of Syria. The air defense confronted the missiles and shot down some of them. Tests of the results of the attacks are still ongoing."

The attack was reportedly an attempt to "blind" Iranian early warning radars.

EXPLOSIONS IN IRAQ
Explosions were reported in Basra, in southern Iraq, but soon after, Iraqi officials denied this, saying that they had actually occurred across the border in Iran.

Basra is a stronghold for Iraqi Shia, having been the site of numerous Shia uprisings during the Saddam Hussein era.

The Iraqi Transportation Ministry announced it was suspending all air traffic until further notice, following the reports of strikes.

Courtesy of GeoffroNagelo, Fox News has a long report with videos and photos:

Israel begins retaliatory strikes against Iran following missile barrage targeting Israelis
US official says President Biden briefed on the strikes, closely following developments

Courtesy of Frank G, the Jerusalem Post’s take, also long and with photos and videos:

'Days of Repentance': Israel strikes multiple targets across Iran in retaliatory strikes
The attack occurred in three major waves, with the second and third waves targeting Iranian drone and missile production sites, hitting over 20 targets.

3dc scoured Twitter for us, and beyond:

[X]

BREAKING:

First picture of Israel’s airstrikes against Iran pic.twitter.com/50g4ENI4cH
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) October 25, 2024

Followed by this video:

Intense Air Defense Activity including Surface-to-Air Missiles and Anti-Aircraft Guns seen over Tehran, as Israeli Strikes against Iranian Military Targets continue. pic.twitter.com/weNWlKjL87
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) October 26, 2024

And another:

Something made a giant kaboom in a building belonging to the IR Ministry of Defence in Tehran.

Stay tuned. pic.twitter.com/jMPUqb0YPb
— The Mossad: Satirical and Awesome (@TheMossadIL) October 25, 2024

Both the Headquarters and a Barracks of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have reportedly been Targeted by Israeli Strikes on the Iranian Capital of Tehran. pic.twitter.com/ZlFNZUQ3Ix
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) October 25, 2024

And more:
Over 100 Israeli Aircraft participated in tonight’s Series of Precision-Strikes against Military Targets inside Iran, including F-35 Stealth Strike Fighters, according to the Jerusalem Post. This would be the Largest Attack by Israel against Iran in History.

And a missile factory kaboom...

BREAKING:

Israeli airstrikes hit an IRGC missile factory south-west of Tehran pic.twitter.com/aoydXRCHjl
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) October 26, 2024

The Fars News Agency is reporting that Iranian Military Base to the West and Southwest of Tehran have been Targeted by Israeli Strikes, with Air Defenses claimed to have been Active attempting to Intercept the Attacks.

According to the Washington Post; tonight’s Israeli Precision-Strikes inside Iran are targeting Iranian Military Assets, mainly Missile Manufacturing Facilities and Air Defense Sites, with them expected to last several more hours

What is in Semnan Iran that is causing Israel to bomb it quite heavily? Okay I found the answer: Their Space Launch Center

IDF: The Chief of the General Staff, LTG Herzi Halevi, is currently commanding the strike on Iran from the Israeli Air Force underground command center in Camp Rabin (The Kirya) with the Commanding Officer of the Israeli Air Force, Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar.

Its been confirmed F35's used into the first WAVE, they have KC135's for refueling in the area. Jordan, has opened its airspace to Israel!

Possible first wave target list:

It appears like the first rounds of Israeli strikes in Iran are focusing on military targets in Tehran and around the country. This ⁦@FDD⁩ map marks some of the likely targets. We will know more in the coming hours. pic.twitter.com/f0wCutjZQs
— Jonathan Conricus (@jconricus) October 26, 2024

U.S. and Israeli officials said that three waves of strikes took place. The first waves focused on Iranian air defense system and the second an third waves focused on missile and drone bases and productions sites

Tonight’s attack by Israel on Iran suggests the use of radar spoofing, as evidenced by the Iranian anti-aircraft guns (SPAAG) engaging with no visible targets in the air. The SPAAG's attempts to engage nonexistent threats indicate a potential manipulation of its radar systems, likely designed to create confusion and divert attention from actual incoming threats.

As of now, multiple Iranian military positions/bases have been struck by Israel as the attack continues.

several Strikes reported against Dezful Military Airport and a
nearby Surface-to-Air Missile Site

Smoke seen rising from an IRGC Air Defense Base near the Town of Khojir in the Tehran Province.

According to Israeli Defense Officials; tonight’s Strike Campaign against Military Targets inside Iran has now Ended, with over 20 Sites being Targeted in Three Waves carried out by the Israeli Air Force.