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A US-Israeli airstrike hit a gamma irradiation sterilization facility in Iran's Isfahan Province on Saturday, causing heavy damage to the site, Iranian authorities confirmed on Sunday, as the expanding military campaign enters its second week with no signs of a ceasefire.
Iran's ISNA news agency, citing the country's National Center for Nuclear Safety Systems, said the facility was struck by combined air and missile attacks. Authorities said no radiation contamination had been detected in the surrounding area.
The strike adds another target to a growing list of Iranian installations hit since the United States and Israel launched their joint military operation, dubbed "Operation Epic Fury" by Washington, on Feb. 28. The campaign has killed more than 1,200 people, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and wounded over 10,000 others, according to Iranian officials.
Gamma irradiation sterilization centers use cobalt-60 radiation sources to sterilize disposable medical supplies, pharmaceutical products and food.
Iran's Gamma Irradiation Center has been described as the country's primary facility for providing irradiation services to manufacturers of disposable medical and hygienic products.
Iran's Atomic Energy Organization announced plans in 2016 to build at least 10 multipurpose gamma irradiation plants for sterilizing medical products.
While such facilities fall under the umbrella of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, they serve primarily civilian and industrial purposes rather than weapons-related functions.
The targeting of a medical sterilization site could raise questions about the scope of the US-Israeli campaign, which Washington has framed as aimed at dismantling Iran's nuclear weapons capability, missile infrastructure and military command structure.
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