Israel calls on people living near Iranian nuclear facility to evacuate urgently

A map published by the military shows a cluster of buildings in red where residents are being advised to leave immediately because staying there puts lives at risk.

“Your presence in this area puts your life at risk,” the message says.

As The New York Times explained, we are talking about an industrial zone located 16 km from the Fordo nuclear facility. The media recalls that this facility is a heavily fortified uranium enrichment center, which is the main one for Iran’s nuclear program.

It has already come under attack in June 2025 during the 12-day conflict between Israel, Iran and the United States. Then American B-2 bombers tried to destroy a facility located deep in the mountains to protect against attacks.

The Komu region, an important center of Shiite Islam and religious learning, was largely undamaged in past attacks in western Iran, according to the NYT. So far, there have been no confirmed strikes on Fordo or other Iranian nuclear facilities, particularly in Esfahan.

Israel has long viewed Iran's nuclear program as an existential threat, noting that facilities like Fordo could enable Tehran to quickly move toward nuclear weapons production. In 2023, UN inspectors discovered uranium at Fordo enriched to near weapons-grade levels.

Context

On the morning of February 28, Israel and the United States announced a military operation in Iran (Israel called it “Lion’s Roar”, USA – “Epic Fury”) Trump has stated his intention to protect the American people by eliminating threats from the Iranian regime. On the same day, the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and more than 40 other officials of the country were eliminated.

Tehran threatened a “crushing” blow in response and sent missiles and drones to several countries in the Middle East where there are American military bases – Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE, Bahrain.