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Israeli strike hits covert Iranian nuclear site

The IDF destroyed a secret facility near Tehran, calling the move a major blow to the Islamic Republic’s ability to develop atomic arms.

Plumes of smoke rise from explosions in Tehran, March 3, 2026. Photo by Negar/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images.
Plumes of smoke rise from explosions in Tehran, March 3, 2026. Photo by Negar/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images.

Israeli forces struck a covert Iranian nuclear-weapons facility on Tuesday, targeting a compound where a team of scientists had been secretly working to develop a critical component for nuclear weapons, the Israel Defense Forces said.

The IDF identified the site as the partially underground “Minzadehei” compound on the outskirts of Tehran. IDF Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin confirmed in his daily press briefing that the secret nuclear headquarters was “destroyed.”

“The strike removes a key component in the Iranian regime’s capability to develop nuclear weapons and joins a series of strikes conducted during ‘Operation Rising Lion’ that were essential to eliminate the Iranian nuclear threat,” IDF International Spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said, referring to the 12-day Iran war last June.

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