How Israel Will Take Out Iran’s Nuclear Ambitions

Iran’s massive missile attack on Israel today once again brings up the prospect of Israel removing Iran’s nuclear capabilities while it still can. Israel has long considered Iran’s nuclear ambitions as one of the greatest threats to its national security. The fear is that a nuclear-armed Iran could destabilize the region, embolden Tehran’s proxies (like Hezbollah), and pose an existential threat to Israel. Over the years, Israel has developed a multi-pronged strategy involving intelligence gathering, diplomacy, covert operations, and military preparations to counter the potential threat of a nuclear-armed Iran.

While diplomatic efforts and international sanctions have slowed down Iran’s nuclear program, the possibility of direct military action has always remained on the table, especially for Israel, which maintains a policy of ambiguity regarding its nuclear arsenal. Here’s a detailed look at the military and covert strategies Israel might deploy if it decided to take out Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

Key Strategic Goals for Israel

1. Neutralizing Iran’s Nuclear Facilities: Iran’s nuclear program is spread across multiple sites, including enrichment facilities, research centers, and missile production sites. Some of these are buried deep underground, designed to withstand bombings.
2. Delaying or Disabling Iran’s Nuclear Progress: Completely destroying Iran’s nuclear capability might be impossible without massive military operations. Israel would likely aim to delay Iran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons through targeted strikes that set back its program by several years.
3. Minimizing Regional Fallout: A strike on Iran would have significant consequences in the Middle East, likely leading to a regional conflict involving Iran’s proxies like Hezbollah in Lebanon and potentially Syria. Israel would need to prepare for a broader military engagement beyond just air strikes on Iranian facilities.

Israel’s Possible Approaches

1. Covert Operations

Israel has a long history of conducting covert operations to disrupt Iran’s nuclear progress. Some essential methods include:

• Assassinations of Key…