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Here Are the Weapons Israel Is Using to Bomb Iran

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Now that the Israel-Iran War is underway, the first battle damage assessments of Israel’s airstrikes against key Iranian nuclear weapons facilities are beginning to trickle out. Details are still scant, of course—but it has been widely reported that Iran’s Natanz nuclear enrichment facility has effectively been put out of action, and nuclear weapons development facilities in Isfahan and Karaj have been hit as well. 

Rumors are swirling that Iran’s Fordow facility, the crown jewel of its nuclear program, has been attacked. Yet there remains some doubt as to whether that facility has been destroyed. Fordow in particular is an extremely hardened target—having been built under a mountain in anticipation of an aerial attack. To effectively destroy Fordow, the Israelis will require a far bigger bunker-busting bomb than what they currently have available in their current arsenal. Of course, the Israelis could probably deploy tactical nuclear weapons to do the job—but would rather not trigger the political and diplomatic fallout from such a move unless it were absolutely necessary.

Still, the weapons that Israel has employed in their campaign against Iran’s nuclear weapons facilities—as well as its leadership and nuclear scientist cadre—have been largely effective so far. Here are some of those systems based on available information:

GBU-39/B “Slim Bombs”

These precision-guided, small-diameter bombs were reportedly sighted on F-16I “Soufa” warplanes during the strikes. They are designed for high accuracy and can penetrate........

© The National Interest