Tensions are high in the Middle East following Iran’s missile strike on Israel earlier this week.

Concerns have emerged that Israel’s armed forces plan to retaliate “significantly” and quickly after nearly 200 missiles were launched at Israel by Iran, although the Israeli response is still under consideration, as reported by YSL News.

Israel remains in communication with the United States as it evaluates various options for a response against Iran, according to the Guardian.

Where are Iran’s nuclear facilities located?

Iran operates multiple sites as part of its nuclear agenda, according to the Bulletin. While there has been ongoing speculation about potential Israeli airstrikes, only a few of these sites have been established underground.

Iran has been accelerating and broadening its nuclear activities as the 2015 agreement it made with major nations has weakened over time, significantly reducing the time required to develop a nuclear bomb should it decide to pursue that path − though Iran claims it has no such ambitions, as reported by Reuters.

Israel’s history of threats against Iran’s nuclear facilities

Previously, on April 19, Israel conducted an attack deep inside Iran, near Isfahan. This was seen as a response to a recent Iranian drone and missile offensive against Israel.

The precise target of Israel’s potential new strike remains unspecified, yet an Israeli official indicated that a prompt response is planned, as mentioned in an NBC article citing an unnamed source.

This past Wednesday, President Joe Biden informed reporters that the United States would not support Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear installations.

As reported by Reuters, Iran is currently enriching uranium to concentrations as high as 60%, which is close to the 90% needed for weapons-grade material, at two different locations. This enrichment level theoretically provides enough material to create nearly four nuclear bombs, based on assessments from the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N.’s oversight body.

Contributions from: Kim Hjelmgaard, Tom Vanden Brook, and Joey Garrison

SOURCE: Reuters, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Institute for Science and International Security and YSL News research