Israeli Military Issues Urgent Warning in Official Statement
Suspected Aim: Destruction of Nuclear Material Production Facility
AP: "Location of Heavy Water-Based Plutonium Production Facility"
Iran Arak Heavy Water Research Reactor located on the outskirts of Kondab village south of Tehran, Iran. Photo by Mxatechnologies, AP, Yonhap News
Foreign media outlets, including the Associated Press, reported that on June 19 (local time), the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) warned residents in the vicinity of Iran's Arak Heavy Water Reactor and nearby areas to evacuate, announcing plans to strike the region.
In a statement released in Persian that day, the Israeli military said, "The IDF is issuing an urgent warning to the residents, workers, and anyone currently present in the two cities of Arak and Kondab. Evacuate immediately before we strike the Iranian regime's military facilities."
The Associated Press reported that the IDF attached satellite images marked with red circles around target areas, including the Arak Heavy Water Reactor facility.
Arak, located about 250 kilometers southwest of the Iranian capital Tehran, is home to a heavy water-based plutonium production facility.
The Associated Press explained, "Heavy water is used to cool nuclear reactors, but it also produces plutonium as a byproduct, which can be used as material for nuclear weapons. This means that if Iran seeks to develop nuclear weapons, it would have another pathway in addition to enriched uranium."
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