Israel's response to Iran: Challenges mount for Israel in potential strike on Iran's nuclear facilities

Report by Toni Mrad, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi

Last Tuesday, approximately 200 Iranian missiles targeted Israel, an act Israel said it would not tolerate and vows to respond to. 

However, its retaliation will not be as straightforward for several reasons.

According to the Financial Times, the first challenge is the distance. 
  
Israel's most critical Iranian nuclear targets are more than 1,600 kilometers away. Reaching these sites would require Israeli planes to traverse the airspace of several sovereign nations, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, and possibly Turkey.

The second issue is fuel. A round-trip mission to these targets would consume a significant amount of fuel, requiring advanced refueling logistics during the mission.

The third challenge lies in Iran's air defenses. Iran's main nuclear sites are heavily fortified, necessitating the protection of Israeli bombers with fighter jets. 
 
Additionally, the massive uranium enrichment plant in Natanz is located deep underground. 

At the same time, the second facility at Fordo is established deep within a mountain, meaning that their destruction would require specialized weapons capable of penetrating hundreds of meters before detonation.
 
While striking Iran's nuclear facilities remains an option within Israel's strategic response plans, the idea has not yet received full backing from U.S. President Joe Biden.