Israeli army says destroyed major space research center in Tehran

JERUSALEM, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement on Saturday that it dismantled the primary research center of the Iranian Space Agency in Tehran.

The Israeli army claimed that the center, struck on Friday evening, contained strategic laboratories used for research, including developing military satellites for surveillance, intelligence collection, and directing fire toward targets across the Middle East.

According to the statement, the Israeli army also struck several Iranian aerial defense systems production sites in Tehran, including a key factory used to produce Iranian air defense systems.

On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran's then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded by launching waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and U.S. bases and assets in the Middle East. ■