Israeli Defense Forces announced on Wednesday (June 18) that more than 50 warplanes were deployed for a large-scale nighttime airstrike on Iran, targeting a uranium enrichment centrifuge production facility and multiple weapons manufacturing sites.
According to the Israeli military, this operation was carried out with precise guidance from the Intelligence Bureau as part of ongoing actions aimed at weakening Iran’s nuclear weapons development and missile manufacturing capabilities.
The centrifuge factory that was attacked is located in the Tehran area. Israel stated that Iran uses these centrifuges to speed up uranium enrichment for advancing nuclear weapons research, emphasizing that such high levels of enrichment are unnecessary for civilian nuclear energy programs.
The operation also targeted several weapons manufacturing facilities, including factories producing materials and components for ground-to-ground missiles, which Iran has used to attack Israel. Additionally, facilities producing surface-to-air missile systems and their components were also hit.
Prior to the airstrikes, the IDF issued evacuation warnings via social media, urging residents of District 18 in Tehran to immediately leave the designated area. Currently, there are no reports of casualties, but the Israeli emergency medical service MDA has assisted several injured individuals during the evacuation process.
While not abandoning strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, this operation indicates that the Israeli Defense Forces’ priority has shifted to directly threatening ballistic missile systems.
The military noted that this is also the first time the number of participating warplanes in the airstrikes exceeded the actual targets, possibly indicating a reduced number of targets but also reflecting Israel’s intention to thoroughly destroy existing facilities.
The Israeli Defense Forces simultaneously released footage of the warplanes taking off to carry out the mission.
According to the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, since the outbreak of the Iran-Israel conflict last Friday (June 13), Iran has launched over 400 missiles and hundreds of drones at Israel. These attacks have targeted approximately 40 locations within Israel.
The office’s statistics show that 24 Israelis have lost their lives, more than 800 people have been injured, and over 3,800 individuals have been forced to evacuate their homes.
On the Iranian side, it has been reported that at least 224 people have died since last Friday.