In a major escalation of hostilities, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) launched a large-scale overnight airstrike campaign across Iran on Friday. The operation targeted dozens of strategic military installations, including a confirmed strike on the Organisation of Defensive Innovation and Research (SPND) — the nucleus of Iran’s alleged nuclear weapons programme.
60 Fighter Jets, 120 Munitions Deployed
The IDF reported that over 60 Israeli Air Force fighter jets carried out the assault, dropping approximately 120 precision-guided munitions on military-industrial sites spread across Iran. “Among the sites attacked were military industrial sites for the production of missile components and sites for the production of raw materials used for casting rocket engines,” the IDF said in its official statement.
צה״ל השלים סדרת תקיפות הלילה בלב טהראן: הותקפו עשרות מטרות בהן אתרי תעשייה צבאיים לייצור טילים ומטה ספ’נד למחקר ופיתוח פרויקט הנשק הגרעיני
יותר מ-60 מטוסי קרב של חיל האוויר תקפו במהלך הלילה (ה’) עשרות מטרות צבאיות באיראן בהכוונה מודיעינית מדויקת של אגף המודיעין באמצעות כ-120… pic.twitter.com/odzJvrl7oM
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) June 20, 2025
SPND Headquarters in Tehran Struck
A major highlight of the operation was the successful strike on the SPND headquarters located in Tehran. “As part of the attacks and as part of the IDF’s activities to damage the Iranian regime’s nuclear weapons project, the IDF attacked the Spand headquarters building in Tehran,” the Israeli military confirmed.
Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, the Iranian nuclear scientist assassinated in 2020, established the SPND in 2011, and experts widely regard it as the central agency coordinating Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Israel had long viewed Fakhrizadeh, the architect of Iran’s nuclear programme, as a critical threat.
Additional Nuclear-Linked Sites Also Targeted
In addition to SPND, the IDF said it also struck a facility “for the production of a component that is a necessary basis for the Iranian regime’s nuclear weapons program,” though no additional details were made public.
The attack marks one of the most aggressive moves by Israel since the conflict with Iran flared into open warfare two weeks ago. With tensions at an all-time high, international observers fear that the situation could quickly spiral into a broader regional conflict.
