Israeli intelligence claimed that Iran transferred thousands of uranium enrichment centrifuges to deep tunnels inside Jabal Al-Fas last autumn, according to Israeli and US officials speaking to The Wall Street Journal.
اضافة اعلان
Jabal Al-Fas, which has not been previously targeted, is located about 220 kilometers south of the Iranian capital, Tehran, and just nearly two kilometers from the Natanz nuclear complex—one of the country's primary uranium enrichment centers in central Iran, which houses major enrichment facilities.
Thwarting Iran's Efforts
The report noted that the findings of this intelligence assessment were shared with the United States, and that the transfer took place following the June 2025 war, during which Israeli and US strikes targeted Iran's three main nuclear sites.
An Israeli military official familiar with the strike operations expressed concern that air raids during that campaign had not sufficiently targeted facilities linked to nuclear weapons development, telling The Wall Street Journal that there is still work to be done, including at Jabal Al-Fas.
According to the report, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attempted to convince Trump to resume large-scale strikes on Iran to disrupt Tehran's nuclear program and reconstruction efforts.
Fortified Facility
US President Donald Trump escalated his rhetoric toward Iran, hinting at targeting the Jabal Al-Fas site—a fortified underground facility linked to Iran's nuclear program, situated near the Natanz nuclear facility in central Iran.
Iran began constructing the facility inside Jabal Al-Fas in 2020 following an explosion that Iranian authorities attributed to sabotage at the Natanz plant, which caused significant damage to its advanced centrifuge manufacturing program.
In September 2020, then-head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Ali Akbar Salehi, described the facility as more advanced, larger, and more comprehensive, designed for manufacturing modern centrifuges.
According to satellite imagery analysis conducted by the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), the facility features two pairs of tunnel entrances believed to lead to a single complex situated at a depth of at least 100 meters beneath the mountain's surface.
Heightened Security Measures
Over the past 15 months, truck traffic has increased, tunnels have been reinforced, and a security system has been established, according to the Institute for Science and International Security—a think tank specializing in nuclear security and non-proliferation research. Furthermore, an older tunnel network dating back to 2007, which Iran had previously sealed, was updated.
The report indicated that the site is surrounded by strict security measures, with extensive reinforcement of tunnel entrance fortifications. Recent imagery also revealed that Iranian authorities partially backfilled the eastern tunnel entrances to obstruct ground vehicle access without completely sealing them off.
This comes at a time when US Central Command in the Middle East has launched nine waves of airstrikes since the resumption of hostilities, targeting air defense systems, drone and missile storage facilities, warships, and logistical infrastructure along the coast near the Strait of Hormuz.
In a serious escalation, senior US sources revealed to Fox News that President Donald Trump is preparing to make a decisive choice in the coming few days, determining whether Washington will expand the scope of its military operations, making the conflict "more intense and comprehensive" compared to the previous series of strikes.
