US, Israel considering new strikes on Iran – report

Latest assessment of impact of US airstrikes reportedly finds that the Fordo facility was destroyed – but Natanz and Isfahan could be repaired in a matter of months, leading US and Israel to gear up for possible resumption of strikes.

By World Israel News Staff

The United States and Israel have both deliberated on the possibility of launching new airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities should Tehran attempt to rebuild its uranium enrichment capabilities, two American officials say.

Ever since American B-2 stealth bombers carried out a series of airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan on June 22nd, President Donald Trump has claimed the nuclear sites were “obliterated,” emphasizing that Iran’s nuclear program had been effectively neutralized.

Initial assessments have varied, however, casting doubt on the president’s insistence that all three facilities suffered catastrophic damage.

Five current and former US officials cited in a new report by NBC News  say that the latest American intelligence assessments suggest that the Fordo site, deemed to be the most difficult to target due to its position underneath the side of a mountain, was indeed destroyed in the American attack.

However, the assessment also estimates that Natanz and Isfahan suffered only partial damage and could potentially be made operational again within a matter of months.

The report said that three of the officials – two former, one current – said that US Central Command had drafted plans for a more expansive set of airstrikes against Iran’s nuclear program, hitting six nuclear sites rather than three.

The operation would have lasted several weeks, as opposed to the one-night Operation Midnight Hammer carried out by the US Air Force.

President Trump was reportedly briefed on the alternative plan, but decided against the broader air campaign, favoring a quick, narrowly defined operation.

Following the operation, both the Israeli and American governments have held deliberations on whether to carry out new strikes on Isfahan and Natanz to ensure they cannot be rebuilt and used to reconstitute Iran’s nuclear program.

Both the White House and the Pentagon responded to the report by reiterating the president’s claims regarding the level of destruction at all three sites.

“As the President has said and experts have verified, Operation Midnight Hammer totally obliterated Iran’s nuclear capabilities,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell mocked the “credibility of the fake news media,” saying both are “in the dirt.”

“Iran’s nuclear facilities in Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz were completely and totally obliterated. There is no doubt about that.”