Israel strikes nuclear facility, Iran strikes hospital... Clash intensifies under U.S. pressure [Comprehensive]

As U.S. President Donald Trump pressed Iran to "surrender unconditionally," the clash between Israel and Iran intensified on the 19th (local time).

According to foreign media reports, the Israeli military supplied Iran's Arak heavy water nuclear facility on the morning of the same day. Iranian officials claimed that all staff at the Arak nuclear facility had evacuated and that there was no leakage of radioactive material.

The attack occurred immediately after the Israeli military sent prior evacuation warnings to residents in the area. On X (formerly Twitter), the Israeli military marked the site with a red circle on a satellite image of the Arak heavy water facility and notified residents nearby to "evacuate immediately."

The Arak heavy water facility is about 250km from Iran’s capital, Tehran. Israel and others believe that Iran is producing plutonium there that could be used for nuclear weapons. This provides Iran with another route to develop nuclear weapons in addition to highly enriched uranium.

Iran responded to Israel with more than 20 missiles. The Israeli military announced that some of the dozens of missiles launched by Iran struck targets such as Soroka Medical Center in southern Beersheba, Israel. Air raid sirens were sounded throughout Israel in response to Iran’s attack, and intense explosions were heard in places like Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

Previously, on the 17th, President Trump posted on social media that "Iran must surrender unconditionally. We know exactly where the so-called 'Supreme Leader' is hiding." However, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, who is in hiding, dismissed the U.S. demands in a video address, stating, "The U.S. demands are tantamount to forcing surrender and can never be accepted."

Minseong Hong, Hankyung.com reporter mshong@hankyung.com