It was the night before last Friday that Israel carried out an airstrike against Iran, during Operation “Rising Lion,” and since then the two countries have been shelling each other.

Israel has stated that the reason for the operation is to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, which it sees as an existential threat to Israel. The main targets of the attacks have therefore been nuclear facilities, and several high-ranking commanders and nuclear scientists have been killed.

The damage to Iran's nuclear program

In an article, AFP examines how much damage Israel has caused to Iran's nuclear program.

Among other things, an important part, above ground, of the nuclear power plant in Natanz has been destroyed, the news agency writes, citing the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The underground part of the plant, where uranium is enriched, may also have been affected, satellite images show.

At the Fordow uranium enrichment facility, the IAEA has not observed any damage, but at the nuclear power plant in Isfahan – where large amounts of uranium are believed to be stored – four buildings are reported to have been damaged.

The expert: “Unlikely”

Ali Vaez, Iran director at the non-profit organization and think tank International Crisis Group, tells AFP that while Israel can damage Iran's nuclear program,"it is unlikely they can destroy it."

According to him, Israel does not have powerful enough bombs.

Vaez also says that if Iran has managed to move uranium stocks to secret locations,"the battle is lost for Israel."

Denies nuclear weapons

AFP has also spoken to Kelsey Davenport at the American organization Arms Control Association, who says that over time Iran has also built up expertise in nuclear energy, which cannot be erased.

Iran has consistently denied that it is building nuclear weapons, saying the purpose of the program is to develop nuclear power. But the IAEA has flagged that Iran has significantly increased its stockpile of enriched uranium, and now has 408.6 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent.

– You don't need 60 percent enriched uranium for something like that (nuclear power, editor's note), so the big question is why Iran is doing it, Pieter Wezeman, senior researcher at the SIPRI peace institute, told SVT.