According to sources within the Islamic Republic, Israel’s elite intelligence organization is responsible for the significant damage dealt to the power source inside the Natanz nuclear facility on Sunday.
On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a press conference with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, once again vowed, “Israel will not allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon.” The statement, which Netanyahu has vowed before, follows a series of events in the region, including an exchange of maritime vessel attacks between the two countries, and most recently, a cyberattack on one of Iran’s nuclear facilities.
According to US officials, the Natanz nuclear facility was dealt a major blow on Sunday when an explosion occurred that led to the destruction of the internal power system. Iran had initially claimed that an accident had taken place, but it wasn’t long before the narrative took a turn from “accident” to “terrorist act”. It is reported that the damage was so significant that it could take at least nine months for any nuclear activity to resume at the site.
Israel’s Mossad is believed to have carried out the attack, which would be anything but the first time the group has been active inside Iran in the last 12 months. In response, according to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran will only increase the productivity of the facility moving forward.
Though the Israeli media has cited Mossad’s alleged involvement, neither the military nor intelligence community has made any claims, which is standard protocol.
