US Told Israel It May Strike Iran’s ‘Pickaxe Mountain’ Within Days, Kan Reports

Israeli broadcaster says Washington shared plans in advance to use heavy bombers against a secret nuclear site

The US has told Israel it plans within days to escalate airstrikes by deploying heavy bombers against a secret underground nuclear facility in Iran, Israel’s public broadcaster Kan reported on July 22.

The target would be Pickaxe Mountain, a fortified underground site near Iran’s Natanz uranium-enrichment facility, the report said.

President Donald Trump had earlier referred to the area, saying the US would strike it “very strongly” soon. He also said any place “even thinking about” nuclear activity would be hit very hard.

The US shared the strike plan with Israel in advance so it could prepare for possible Iranian retaliation, including missile launches, in response to an expanded air campaign.

Israel has maintained its highest level of readiness since receiving the US notice, Kan reported.

Iran’s government, however, has flatly denied the existence of a secret nuclear facility inside Pickaxe Mountain.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei wrote on social media that Washington’s focus on a site with “no nuclear activity whatsoever” was merely a pretext for airstrikes. Any attack on peaceful nuclear facilities would violate international law and the United Nations Charter, he added.

Separately, Yemen’s Houthi rebels have also deployed missiles and drones near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the southern Red Sea and completed preparations for attacks on ships, the report said.

Park Sang-kyung, Hankyung.com reporter highseoul@hankyung.com