Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu clashes with members of the press in Jerusalem, December 9, 2024 (Yonatan Sindel - Flash90)
This past week, Israel launched an unprecedented air campaign against Iran, focusing on its nuclear program and military assets with a level of violence that marked a new chapter in their long-standing enmity. About 200 fighter jets took part in the operation, which hit about 100 sites. It was called a "full-spectrum blitz" and was meant to cripple Iran's strategic capabilities. The attack hit the nuclear plants in Natanz and Isfahan the hardest. Israel blew up the pilot fuel enrichment plant at Natanz, which stopped advanced centrifuges from enriching uranium to 60% and damaged the power supply to the subterranean centrifuge storage. The infrastructure for making and converting uranium metal at Isfahan's Nuclear Technology/Research Center was badly damaged. Reports also say that there were strikes near the Fordow complex, which may have been aimed at its air defenses. It's not known how much damage was done there. These strikes together caused a lot of problems for Iran's nuclear enrichment processes, but because most of its important infrastructure is hidden deep underground, it's hard to fully understand the damage.