RISING CONCERNS BETWEEN ISRAEL AND IRAN OVER WORRIES SURROUNDING IRAN’S NUCLEAR PROGRAM. SPECULATION IS GROWING THAT A RECENT EARTHQUAKE IN IRAN MAY NOT HAVE BEEN A NATURAL DISASTER AT ALL.
OVER THE PAST TWO DECADES, ISRAELI FORCES HAVE PREPARED FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF STRIKING IRAN’S NUCLEAR FACILITIES. THESE INCLUDE THE HEAVILY FORTIFIED NATANZ AND FORDOW SITES, WHERE IRAN ENRICHES URANIUM… JUST STEPS AWAY FROM BOMB-GRADE MATERIAL.
HOWEVER, RECENT REPORTS REVEAL ISRAEL’S MILITARY CAPABILITY TO STRIKE THOSE SITES WITHOUT U-S ASSISTANCE IS LIMITED. THOUGH ISRAELI AIR DRILLS HAVE SIMULATED THE OPERATION, OFFICIALS QUESTION WHETHER THEY COULD SUCCESSFULLY DESTROY IRAN’S NUCLEAR INFRASTRUCTURE WITHOUT AMERICAN ‘BUNKER-BUSTING’ BOMBS, DESIGNED TO PENETRATE DEEP UNDERGROUND.
THERE’S ALSO GROWING PRESSURE WITHIN ISRAEL TO ACT NOW. ISRAELI POLITICIANS ARE CALLING THIS THE PERFECT MOMENT TO CRIPPLE IRAN’S NUCLEAR PROGRAM, ESPECIALLY WHILE HEZBOLLAH AND HAMAS REMAIN WEAKENED BY RECENT CONFLICTS.
THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION URGED ISRAEL TO AVOID STRIKING IRAN’S NUCLEAR FACILITIES DIRECTLY, WARNING OF A POTENTIAL FULL-SCALE REGIONAL WAR. PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN RECENTLY SPOKE WITH ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, STRESSING THE IMPORTANCE OF PROPORTIONAL RETALIATION FOLLOWING IRANIAN MISSILE STRIKES ON ISRAELI TERRITORY. BIDEN REITERATED THAT WHILE ISRAEL HAS THE RIGHT TO DEFEND ITSELF, ANY ATTACK ON NUCLEAR OR ENERGY SITES WOULD RISK CATASTROPHIC ESCALATION.
LAST WEEK, A 4.5 MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE SHOOK SEMNAN PROVINCE, NOT FAR FROM KEY NUCLEAR FACILITIES. THE EARTHQUAKE’S SHALLOW DEPTH AND LOCATION HAVE LED TO SPECULATION ONLINE THAT THIS COULD HAVE BEEN AN UNDERGROUND NUCLEAR TEST, THOUGH OFFICIALS ARE STILL INVESTIGATING.
SOCIAL MEDIA EXPLODED WITH RUMORS FOLLOWING THE EARTHQUAKE, BUT NO OFFICIAL CONFIRMATION HAS BEEN MADE. ANALYSTS WARN THAT IF IRAN DID CONDUCT A NUCLEAR TEST, IT WOULD DRAMATICALLY ESCALATE THE ALREADY FRAGILE SITUATION BETWEEN IRAN AND ISRAEL.
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FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS… I’M KARAH RUCKER.