Israeli Defense Forces spokesperson, Brigadier General Effie Defrin, revealed at a press conference on Tuesday (March 3) that the IDF had destroyed a secret Iranian nuclear weapons development base. The IDF added that the latest attack also killed several senior Iranian military officials.
The Israeli Defense Forces also stated that since the launch of “Roaring Lion” operation last Saturday morning (February 28), airstrikes have rendered approximately 300 Iranian ballistic missile launchers inoperable.
The IDF mentioned that the facility had been relocated underground by Iran following previous attacks, enabling Iran to continue advancing its nuclear program.
Defrin pointed out that the base, named Min Zadai, located in the northeastern suburbs of Tehran, was related to weapon development. He stated that Israeli military intelligence tracked nuclear scientists attempting to secretly visit the base.
By tracking these scientists, the IDF understood the danger of these activities as they could assist Tehran in restarting certain aspects of nuclear weapons development.
Uranium enrichment technology is one of the most difficult challenges to overcome and takes years to master, which is why global media attention is mostly focused on uranium enrichment. However, without the development of a series of weapon components, enriched uranium cannot be utilized as a weapon.
In June 2025, Israeli bombing operations destroyed dozens of Iranian weapon development-related bases, effectively cutting off the country’s nuclear weapons development channels.
Defrin’s disclosure marks the first time the Israeli Defense Forces publicly mentioned the new advancements Iran has made in weapon development since June 2025.
The Israeli military confirmed the killing of senior Revolutionary Guards commander Davoud Ali Zadeh, responsible for Iran’s operations in Lebanon, on Tuesday.
The IDF stated that Zadeh directed Hezbollah attacks against Israel, sacrificing the security of Lebanon and its citizens to protect Iran’s terror regime.
In a statement, the IDF said, “Ali Zadeh held the rank of Brigadier General and was the highest-ranking Iranian commander responsible for affairs in Lebanon.”
The statement further added, “Zadeh held various positions, including commander of the Strategic Weapons Force in the Holy City Brigade, responsible for supporting proxy armed strategic weapons. As an expert, Zadeh guided the firepower capabilities building of Hezbollah and other proxies.”
The Israeli Defense Forces declared in a statement, “The Israeli Defense Forces will not tolerate any representatives of the Iranian terror regime appearing in Lebanese territory and will allow Iranian regime representatives within the country to leave within the next 24 hours.”
The statement emphasized, “Afterward, Lebanon will no longer be a safe haven for Iranian regime personnel. Wherever these targets may be, the Israeli Defense Forces will vigorously target them.”
According to the semi-official Iranian Student News Agency (ISNA) report, Abdulhamid Rahbar, commander of the “15 Khordad” medium-range air defense missile system (usually deployed around important military and nuclear facilities in Iran), along with four Revolutionary Guards members, was killed in an attack in Isfahan.