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| - Fact Check: Did Israel bomb Iranian nuclear facilities?
A message started circulating on social media, claiming that the Israeli Air Force has bombarded nuclear installations in Iran, practically putting an end to its nuclear ambitions.
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India Today Fact Check
An explosion recently broke out at a nuclear facility in Iran which it termed “cyber sabotage”. Israel hasn’t openly claimed responsibility. However, there has been no confirmation of an Israeli air attack on any Iranian nuclear site.
Recently, a major fire was reported at an Iranian nuclear facility that caused significant damage and could possibly slow down the country’s nuclear programme by months. Iranian officials have blamed “cyber sabotage” for the fire and threatened retaliation against those responsible.
Soon after, a message started circulating on social media, claiming that the Israeli Air Force has bombarded nuclear installations in Iran, practically putting an end to its nuclear ambitions.
Several Facebook users have posted the message with a caption in Hindi that translates to, “There is nothing to fear when Israel is with us. The Israeli Air Force has bombarded nuclear facilities in Iran, shattering its dream of becoming a nuclear country. Congratulations to Israel from 100 crore Indians.”
India Today Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA) has found the claim to be misleading. Till the time of writing this article, there has been no confirmation from either side that Israel has carried out an air attack on Iranian nuclear sites. Neither has Israel openly claimed responsibility for the fire at the underground nuclear fuel enrichment facility.
The archived versions of the posts can be seen here and here. Multiple Facebook users have shared the post.
The incident
Early in the morning of July 2, a major fire broke out at the Natanz nuclear facility in Iran. The uranium enrichment site, much of which is underground, is located in the desert province of Isfahan. This facility is one of several monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations nuclear watchdog.
As per Reuters, Iran suspects this to be a cyber attack by an enemy country that resulted in an explosion at the nuclear site. This incident has caused significant setback to Iran’s nuclear programme.
Reactions
Iran’s civil defence chief Gholamreza Jalali told state TV on July 2, “Responding to cyber attacks is part of the country’s defence might. If it is proven that our country has been targeted by a cyber attack, we will respond.”
According to Reuters, an article published on July 2 by Iranian state news agency IRNA addressed what it called the possibility of sabotage by enemies such as Israel and the United States, although it stopped short of accusing either directly.
Reacting to Iran’s accusation, Israel defence minister Benny Gantz said Israel is not “necessarily” behind every mysterious incident in Iran.
Expert speak
An unnamed “Middle Eastern intelligence official” told The New York Times that Israel used a powerful bomb for the attack on the Natanz nuclear complex. The newspaper said, “A member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps who was briefed on the matter also said an explosive was used.”
Some other defence experts think a “kinetic cyber-weapon” by foreign forces caused extensive damage to the facility.
However, it is still not confirmed how the incident took place. Neither did Iran or Israel confirm an aerial bombing on any nuclear facility. Hence, the viral claim is misleading.
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