US Told Israel It May Strike Iran’s ‘Pickaxe Mountain’ Within Days, Kan Says

Israeli broadcaster says Washington shared plans to use heavy bombers against a secret Iranian nuclear site

The US told Israel it plans to step up airstrikes within days, using heavy bombers to hit a secret underground nuclear site in Iran, Israel’s public broadcaster Kan reported on July 22.

The target would be “Pickaxe Mountain,” a fortified underground facility near Iran’s Natanz uranium-enrichment site, the report said.

President Donald Trump had earlier referred to the area, saying the US would strike it “very powerfully” soon. He also said any place involved in nuclear activity would be hit hard.

The advance notice appears intended to help Israel prepare for possible Iranian retaliation, including missile launches, if US air attacks intensify.

Kan reported that Israel has remained at its highest state of alert since receiving the US notice.

Iran’s government, meanwhile, flatly denied that any secret nuclear facility exists inside Pickaxe Mountain.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei wrote on social media that Washington’s focus on a site with “no nuclear activity at all” was merely a pretext for airstrikes. He added that attacking peaceful nuclear facilities would violate international law and the United Nations Charter.

Separately, Yemen’s Houthi rebels have deployed missiles and drones near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the southern Red Sea and are believed to have completed preparations for attacks on ships.

Park Sang-kyung, Hankyung.com reporter highseoul@hankyung.com