Jerusalem, 13 June, 2025 (TPS-IL) — Israel launched preemptive strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities Friday morning, citing intelligence that Tehran had reached “a point of no return” in developing nuclear weapons and posed an imminent existential threat to the Jewish state.

The military operation follows months of escalating concerns over Iran’s nuclear program, with Israeli defence officials revealing that the Islamic Republic has made unprecedented progress toward weaponising its nuclear capabilities. According to Israeli intelligence, Iran has developed the capacity to produce thousands of kilograms of enriched uranium through decentralised underground facilities, enabling the regime to achieve military-grade enrichment and obtain nuclear weapons “within a short period of time.”

“Over the past few months, intelligence has shown that Iran is closer than ever to obtaining a nuclear weapon,” military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said. “This morning the [Israel Defence Forces] began preemptive and precise strikes targeting the Iranian nuclear program in order to prevent the Iranian regime’s ability to build a nuclear bomb in the immediate time frame. We have no choice. We are operating against an imminent and existential threat.”

Israeli officials disclosed for the first time that Iran’s nuclear ambitions extend far beyond uranium enrichment. Military sources revealed that Tehran has been advancing “a secret program to assemble a nuclear weapon” involving senior nuclear scientists working clandestinely to develop all necessary components.

“We are exposing for the first time that the Iranian regime has been advancing a secret program to assemble a nuclear weapon,” an Israeli military official said. “In the framework of this plan, nuclear scientists and senior officials in Iran have been working to secretly develop all components needed for developing a nuclear weapon—explosive materials, the core (enriched uranium) and neutron source.”

The neutron source represents a critical component typically placed at a nuclear weapon’s core to initiate the chain reaction required for detonation. Israeli intelligence indicates Iran has already accumulated sufficient fissile material “for 15 nuclear bombs within days” and made the strategic decision to advance secret weapons assembly.

The nuclear threat constitutes just one element of what Israeli officials describe as a three-pronged existential danger. Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal poses the second component, with thousands of missiles that Tehran plans to “double, and to triple,” representing what officials call “an existential threat” even without nuclear warheads. The third element involves Iran’s systematic arming of regional proxy forces across the Middle East with weapons specifically intended for use against Israel.

These threats have intensified since the October 7 Hamas attacks, with Israeli intelligence documenting coordination between Iranian regime leaders and both Hamas and Hezbollah leadership, including plans for rearming terrorist organisations. Intelligence materials collected during the current conflict reveal Iran’s “concrete plan to destroy the State of Israel,” which Israeli officials refer to as “The Destruction of Israel Plan.”

Iran’s strategy encompasses not only nuclear weapons development but also manufacturing “tens of thousands of missiles and UAVs” while advancing plans for coordinated ground offensives against Israel on multiple fronts simultaneously. This comprehensive approach reflects what Israeli officials describe as the Iranian regime’s founding principle of destroying Israel, with regime leaders having “openly proclaimed this” goal.

The timing of Israel’s military action coincides with growing international concern over Iran’s nuclear activities. The International Atomic Energy Agency recently published reports detailing “a concerning trend of the advancement of the Iranian nuclear project that goes beyond civilian usage.” Significantly, the IAEA Board of Governors declared “for the first time in 20 years that the Iranian regime is blatantly violating nuclear agreements.”

Israeli officials emphasized they had repeatedly warned the international community about Iran’s nuclear progression. “We have warned the world for many years,” stated a military official. “We have warned our partners across the world, publicly and privately speaking about Iran advancing, saying this is a global problem, not just an Israeli problem, if the Iranian regime has a nuclear bomb. And we understand if we don’t act now, if we don’t operate now, we’ll get to the point of no return.”