The IDF said Tuesday it struck a secret underground nuclear complex in Tehran, describing it as a key site where Iran was developing components for a nuclear weapon, as the air campaign in Iran and Lebanon continued at a high tempo.
According to the IDF, fighter jets targeted the covert “Minzadehei” compound, an underground facility where Iran’s nuclear weapons group operated under the country’s Defense Ministry.
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Illustration of the Iranian secret underground nuclear complex that was attacked
(Photo: IDF)
IDF spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said that during a previous operation in June, Israel dealt heavy blows to Iran’s nuclear weapons group. He said the Iranian regime later transferred parts of its nuclear infrastructure to fortified underground bunkers in an effort to protect and conceal continued weapons development.
“Despite the severe damage to the nuclear weapons group, the Iranian regime did not stop its military nuclear activity,” Defrin said. “It continued to develop the capabilities required for a nuclear weapon while relocating infrastructure to an underground, airstrike-resistant site.”
Inside the compound, he said, a group of nuclear scientists was secretly working on developing a central component of a nuclear weapons system.
The IDF said Military Intelligence tracked the scientists’ movements and identified their new location, enabling what it described as a precise strike on the secret complex.
The strike “removes a core component of the Iranian capability to develop a nuclear weapon,” Defrin said, calling it part of a broader series of operations aimed at eliminating what Israel views as the Iranian nuclear threat.
The IDF said that since the start of the current operation, Air Force pilots have carried out about 1,600 strike sorties in Iran and dropped roughly 4,000 munitions — surpassing the total number of munitions used during the previous round of fighting in June.
In the past 24 hours alone, Air Force pilots launched more than 300 consecutive waves of strikes in Iran and Lebanon, targeting hundreds of sites and what the IDF described as strategic Iranian assets.
The IDF also said it has destroyed dozens of missile launchers that were prepared for attacks against Israel.
In Lebanon, operations are continuing from the air and on the ground. The IDF said it has struck operatives from Hezbollah’s Radwan force, the group’s elite unit.
The latest strikes come as Israel continues to operate deep inside Iran while maintaining pressure on Hezbollah in Lebanon in what officials describe as a multi-front campaign.
First published: 21:07, 03.03.26