Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that the IDF carried out a powerful strike on one of Iran’s central petrochemical facilities, located in Islawiyeh - a move he said deals a severe blow to Iran’s economy.
According to Katz, together with additional strikes, two facilities responsible for approximately 85% of Iran’s petrochemical exports were put out of operation.
"This is a major economic blow worth tens of billions of dollars to the Iranian regime,' Katz said, adding that the petrochemical industry serves as a key source of funding for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and for strengthening Iran’s military capabilities.
Katz noted that the decision to intensify the strikes was made jointly with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and emphasized that Israel will continue targeting central regime infrastructure.
"The Iranian terror regime will discover that continued aggression against Israel and the cowardly and criminal missile fire toward Israeli civilians will lead to it paying in deepening economic and strategic damage and the collapse of its capabilities," he warned.
Earlier this week, the IDF said that it targeted a site housing one of two central facilities used to produce materials for explosives, ballistic missile, and additional weaponry.
The site is one of the primary locations where a critical component for ballistic missiles is produced.
"The damage to this infrastructure is expected to disrupt the regime’s ability to use the materials produced at the facility for manufacturing various types of weapons intended to target the State of Israel," the IDF emphasized.
"The completed strike is part of the ongoing phase aimed at deepening the damage to the core systems and foundations of the Iranian terror regime."
The strikes form part of intensified Israeli and American operations against Iranian infrastructure in recent days, which have also included the country's main steel plants, pharmaceutical and research centers, airports, and seaports.
Late last month, the IDF struck one of the IRGC’s central military infrastructure sites. The site is located within the compound of Imam Hossein University - the IRGC’s primary military academic institution, which also serves as an emergency asset for the regime’s military bodies.
Under civilian cover, research and development for advanced weaponry were conducted within the university.
Due to its direct affiliation with the IRGC and its involvement in advancing terrorist activity, several countries have imposed sanctions on the university and its senior officials. The university is commanded by Mohammad Reza Hassani Shahnegari, a senior IRGC officer holding a rank equivalent to Brigadier General.
Shahnegari directs and oversees the university’s activities, leads officer training, and is responsible for force buildup.
During the operation, the IDF struck military infrastructure within the university multiple times in order to inflict significant damage to the regime’s weapons production and development capabilities.
Following the completion of the recent strikes, the IDF revealed that the site contained multiple military infrastructure, including wind tunnels constructed beneath the university, used by the regime for testing and development of ballistic missiles.
The IDF also destroyed the chemistry center of Imam Hossein University, used by the regime for research and development of chemical weapons; as well as the technology and engineering center of the mechanics and development group. The technology center was a key complex used by the regime for the development of ballistic missiles and additional weapons.