Israel bombed Iran’s state television headquarters as the aerial war between the countries entered its fourth day on June 16. According to Reuters, the Israeli military escalated their bombardment of Iranian cities, while Iran showed they could bypass Israel’s air defenses — missiles struck Tel Aviv and the Israeli port city of Haifa before dawn.
This flashpoint in the longstanding Israeli-Iranian conflict began June 13 when Israel struck Iran’s uranium enrichment facility at Natanz and hit additional targets “at the heart” of the Islamic Republic’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “Iran’s leading nuclear scientists” were also targets.
Here’s a look at where strikes have been reported so far and what the nuclear sites looked like before and after the attacks:
The Israeli military reports that it damaged an underground area of Iran’s uranium enrichment facility at Natanz that contained a “multi-story enrichment hall with centrifuges, electrical rooms and additional supporting infrastructure.” The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that at least one strike hit the Natanz nuclear site. The nuclear watchdog said in a statement that it has found “no elevated radiation levels” at the facility.
The points mapped below are from daily assessments provided by the Institute for the Study of War and the Critical Threats Project at the American Enterprise Institute which include confirmed airstrikes, reported airstrikes, reports of explosion with footage, and reports of explosions without footage. The data is collected from open sources including geolocated visual evidence and opposition, local, and international media sources. USA TODAY has verified some but not all of the strikes assessed by Critical Threats and ISW.
The below satellite images from Maxar Technologies show key Iranian nuclear facilities before and after the Israeli attacks. Israel struck Shiraz Electronics Industries in Shiraz, Fars Province, on June 15, according to the Critical Threats Project at the American Enterprise Institute.
An Iranian munitions factory in Isfahan was targeted on June 15, the Critical Threats Project reported.
Israel has also hit missile bases that reportedly stored solid and liquid-fueled missiles, including the Ghadir site, according to the Critical Threats Project.
Read more: Israel attacks Iran — see strike map, satellite images of nuclear sites
CONTRIBUTING Jennifer Borresen, Kim Hjelmgaard, Joey Garrison, and Shawn J. Sullivan, USA TODAY
