Israel’s Sabotage of Natanz Shows Shift to Direct Attacks on Iran Program

Recent explosions all suspect with Israel's escalation

Israel has been picking up its attacks against Iran in recent weeks, notably a recent sabotage of the Natanz uranium enrichment site, which analysts are seeing as a sign that Israel is looking to directly attack Iran’s civilian program.

This is hardly the first time Israel has done that, and the Natanz strategy of cyberattacks as sabotage are in line with past efforts. Iran’s civilian nuclear program does not have military dimensions, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be targeted.

Israel tends to attack Iran for non-specific reasons, beyond general hostility, and in recent weeks Israeli officials have called for the nation to be on alert in case all the attacking of Iran leads to retaliation.

While Israeli officials have suggested attacks are to continue, the signs are that direct nuclear site targeting will be a priority for now, as escalation that hasn’t sparked a retaliation tends to lead to further escalatory attacks.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.