The Middle East situation is experiencing another major change. US President Trump this morning confirmed that US military has launched attacks on three Iranian nuclear facilities, breaking the red line of not directly attacking Iran's mainland for nearly 50 years. Trump also stated that he will deliver a national address at the White House at 10 PM Taiwan time today:
I will deliver a national address at the White House at 10 PM tonight (10 PM Taiwan time on the 22nd), regarding our extremely successful military operation in Iran. This is a historic moment for the United States, Israel, and the entire world.
New York Times: Israel's Strike Force Insufficient
The New York Times pointed out that one of the reasons the US decided to take military action was that Israel's previous attacks on Iran had only delayed Iran's nuclear program by about six months, and if Israel were to act alone again, the actual damage to Iranian facilities would likely be limited.
An unnamed Israeli senior official revealed to the local public broadcasting company Kan: "Tonight's strike on Iranian nuclear facilities has been fully coordinated between the US and Israel." Former Israeli Defense Minister Gallant praised Trump's order for airstrikes on social media, describing it as a "brave decision made for the United States, for Israel, and for all of humanity".
US Begins Evacuation from Israel
As the conflict escalates, evacuation operations have begun. US Ambassador to Israel Heckby stated that the US has started evacuating citizens from Israel, with the first batch of about 70 people flying from Tel Aviv to Athens, Greece on a government-arranged flight.
Additionally, China, India, and several European countries have also begun arranging evacuations for their citizens.
Difficult to Eradicate Nuclear Challenge
However, despite the seemingly precise US military strike, experts are discussing its long-term impact and effectiveness on Iran's nuclear program.
Experts assess that Iran's main nuclear facilities are deeply buried in mountains with extremely robust structures, reportedly only tactical nuclear weapons could effectively destroy them. Even the US's 30,000-pound GBU-57 bomb would be difficult to completely eliminate them. Even if surface damage is caused, the critical underground uranium enrichment facilities may not be significantly affected, and no radioactive leakage has been detected.
