Israel-Iran latest: Israel strikes Iran’s largest nuclear research facility

Two centrifuge production sites were struck in Isfahan, Iran, overnight, an Israeli military official has said, according to Reuters.

Centrifuges are devices that enrich uranium. They can be used to make fuel for power plants as well as for nuclear weapons.

The Israeli military has said it has killed a senior commander in the Palestine corps of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards’ overseas arm.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have said five of its members have been killed in Israeli attacks in Khorramabad on Saturday, according to Iranian media, Reuters reports.

Israel has claimed it has set back Iran’s suspected nuclear programme by “at least two or three years”.

The Israeli air force launched new airstrikes against missile storage as well as launch sites in central Iran, Israel said on Saturday, according to the Guardian, which cited Agence France-Presse reports.

Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar told the German newspaper Bild on Saturday: “According to the assessment we hear, we already delayed for at least two or three years the possibility for them to have a nuclear bomb.”

Iranian state-run media reported that a magnitude 5.5 earthquake rattled parts of Iran on Friday. The United States Geological Survey put the magnitude of the tremor at 5.1.

Authorities in Iran said the quake occurred at 9.19pm local time at a depth of 10 km (6 miles). Its epicenter was roughly 170 km (105 miles) to the east of Tehran, near Semnan province, which stretches from the slopes of the Alborz Mountains to the edge of the Iranian desert. The province is home to several important military and missile facilities.

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties from the quake, which was considered moderate in strength.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Russia has repeatedly notified Israel that Iran has no alleged intentions of obtaining nuclear weapons, Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported on Saturday, citing an interview with SkyNews Arabia.

As the war between Israel and Iran hits the one-week mark, Iranians have spent nearly half of the conflict in a near-communication blackout, unable to connect not only with the outside world but also with their neighbors and loved ones across the country.

Civilians are left unaware of when and where Israel will strike next, despite Israeli forces issuing warnings through their Persian-language online channels. When the missiles land, disconnected phone and web services mean not knowing for hours or days if their family or friends are among the victims.

That’s left many scrambling on various social media apps to see what’s happening — again, only a glimpse of life able to reach the internet in a nation of over 80 million people.

The Israeli prime minister made the remarks in a solemn address to TV cameras while standing in front of the ruins of a hospital in the southern city of Beersheba, hours after it was hit by Iranian missiles. Officials said at least 40 people were injured in the attack on Thursday.

“There are people who were killed, families who grieved loved ones, I really appreciate that,” Netanyahu said, comparing the attacks on Israel to the blitz in Britain during World War II.