Israel intensifies strikes on Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility and key targets in Tehran

Israel has launched a new airstrike on Iran’s underground Fordow nuclear facility south of Tehran, according to Iranian media reports cited by AFP.

“The aggressor attacked the Fordow nuclear site again,” reported the Tasnim news agency, quoting a spokesperson for the crisis management authority in Qom province, where the highly sensitive facility is located.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated that the military is carrying out attacks across central Tehran with “unprecedented intensity,” Reuters reported, in what marks a major escalation in the ongoing conflict between the two nations.

The Fordow site — a critical component of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, buried deep underground — has long been a point of concern for the international community. It was one of several facilities targeted by U.S. airstrikes on June 22, which also hit Natanz and Isfahan. U.S. President Donald Trump later claimed those sites had been “totally obliterated.”

On June 23, Israel followed up with a fresh wave of air raids on roads leading to the Fordow site, with the stated aim of “obstructing access routes.” Israeli military operations extended beyond nuclear facilities, striking key government and security targets across Tehran.

Defense Minister Gallant said Israel’s military was “carrying out strikes of unprecedented force against regime targets and agencies of government repression in the heart of Tehran.” These included Evin prison — notorious for housing political prisoners and dual nationals — as well as command centers of the Basij militia and the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Iran is believed to be holding around 20 European nationals, many of them detained without public disclosure. Western governments have accused Iran of engaging in “hostage diplomacy” to gain leverage in negotiations.

“The Iranian dictator will be punished with full force for attacking the Israeli home front,” Israel’s Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Israel began its military campaign against Iran on June 13, initially focusing on Iran’s nuclear and missile infrastructure — which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called an “existential threat” to Israel. However, the list of Israeli targets has since expanded to include state-run media and domestic security services, fueling speculation that the campaign may also aim to undermine Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s regime.

Trump Signals Support for Regime Change

Former U.S. President Donald Trump has increasingly signaled support for regime change in Tehran, despite earlier statements from his administration framing recent strikes as strictly limited to military objectives.

“It’s not politically correct to use the term ‘Regime Change,’ but if the current Iranian regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a regime change??? MIGA!!!” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.

In a later post, he wrote, “Monumental Damage was done to all Nuclear sites in Iran... Obliteration is an accurate term!”

At a Pentagon briefing, U.S. General Dan Caine confirmed that preliminary battle damage assessments showed “extremely severe damage” at all three targeted nuclear sites.

Prime Minister Netanyahu said Israel’s military campaign would continue until its goals — the destruction of Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities — were fully achieved. “We are very, very close to completing them,” he added.

U.S. Bases on High Alert in the Middle East

Fears of Iranian retaliation against U.S. interests have prompted the State Department to double its emergency evacuation flights for American citizens seeking to leave Israel. Nonessential personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon have also been ordered to depart.

The State Department issued a global alert urging all U.S. citizens abroad to exercise increased caution. In Türkiye and Saudi Arabia, Americans were specifically warned to adopt heightened security measures amid uncertainty.

In Türkiye, U.S. personnel were advised to maintain a low profile and avoid personal travel to the U.S. Consulate district in Adana — home to the NATO airbase at İncirlik.