A US Navy photo released by CENTCOM shows US forces firing a ground-attack missile toward Iran in March. [AFP]
A US Navy photo released by CENTCOM shows US forces firing a ground-attack missile toward Iran in March. [AFP]

The United States has notified Israel that it plans to escalate airstrikes against Iran within days, deploying heavy bombers to strike a covert nuclear facility, Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported Wednesday (local time).

According to the report, US bombers are expected to strike a site known as "Pickaxe Mountain," where Iran is believed to have constructed underground nuclear facilities.

Pickaxe Mountain is a mountainous area near Iran's Natanz uranium enrichment facility. A fortified underground nuclear complex is believed to have been built inside the mountain.

President Donald Trump had said the United States would strike the region "very powerfully, very soon," adding that it would hit "any place they're even thinking about" in connection with nuclear activities "very, very powerfully."

Sharing the strike plans with Israel is seen as a move to allow the country to prepare for the possibility that Iran, angered by the intensified US offensive, could retaliate by launching missiles at Israel.

Kan said Israel has been maintaining its highest level of readiness since receiving the US notification.


mokiya@heraldcorp.com