Chernobyl-like nuclear warnings, Fattah missile strikes, and an 'Islamic Bomb' have left the Middle East on edge

In the first week of open war, Israeli air and missile strikes have inflicted heavy damage on Iran's nuclear infrastructure and reportedly wiped out several senior military commanders. The strikes targeted key sites including Natanz and Isfahan. Although Israel initially said it had bombed Bushehr, it later retracted the claim.

Iran has responded with a massive barrage of 370 ballistic missiles and hundreds of drones. According to the Israeli government, these have killed 24 civilians and injured nearly 600 people. Among the targets hit was the Soroka Medical Centre in Beersheba. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, visiting another damaged site in Bat Yam, said, "Iran will pay a very heavy price for the premeditated murder of civilians, women and children."

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz confirmed that the military has been ordered to "intensify strikes on strategic-related targets in Tehran" to dismantle what he called the "Ayatollah regime". Netanyahu added that these attacks might result in the toppling of Iran's leadership.

Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, however, clarified that "regime change" was not currently the cabinet's official goal.

Iran deploys new missile arsenal in retaliation
Iran’s response has included the deployment of multiple missile systems, including the Emad, Qadr-110, Haj Qassem, and the Fattah-1 and Fattah-2 hypersonic-capable missiles. The Iranian Embassy in India said, "The twelfth wave of Operation 'True Promise 3' has begun with the launch of ultra-heavy, long-range, two-stage Sejjil missiles."

"Sejjil missiles, powered by solid fuel and with long-range capabilities, are among Iran’s most accurate and powerful strategic weapons. They possess the ability to penetrate and destroy critical enemy targets," it added in a post on X.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) first unveiled the Fattah-1 in 2023. It has a range of 1,400 km and is designed to travel both inside and beyond Earth’s atmosphere. Iranian media have called it their first true hypersonic missile.

But not everyone agrees.

Yehoshua Kalisky, senior researcher at the Israeli think tank INSS, stated, "Israel is able to intercept more than 95% of the missiles because speed is not crucial. What is important is the manoeuvrability of the incoming missiles, and so far the manoeuvrability of these missiles is limited."

Also Read: Camera lens behind Israel–Iran conflict: How Iran’s missiles are finding their mark

Nuclear rhetoric and the revival of an old threat

What has truly alarmed global security analysts is the nuclear rhetoric coming from Tehran.

Major General Mohsen Rezaei of the IRGC said on state television, "Pakistan has told us that if Israel uses nuclear missiles, we will also attack it with nuclear weapons." He claimed that Pakistan had promised to "stand behind Iran" and urged Muslim unity against Israel. "We may reach a point where we take major actions that will destabilise the entire region," he warned.

Reza Sayyad, spokesperson for the Iranian armed forces, added: "Warnings for you in the coming days: Leave the occupied territories, because, certainly, they won’t be inhabitable in the future! Taking shelter underground will not bring safety to the Israelis."

Pakistan's Defence Minister Khwaja Asif echoed those sentiments in parliament, calling on all Muslim nations to unite. "Israel has targeted Iran, Yemen, and Palestine. If Muslim nations don’t unite now, each will face the same fate," he said.

The concept of an "Islamic Bomb" is decades old. Pakistani leaders Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Zia ul-Haq floated the idea in the 1970s. In 1979, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin even warned British PM Margaret Thatcher about this potential threat. And in 2003, nuclear components were seized en route to Libya from Pakistan. AQ Khan, father of Pakistan's nuclear programme, later confessed to proliferating nuclear technology to both Libya and Iran.

Also Read: Israel-Iran War: Can Trump bomb Iran without asking? Capitol Hill says no, invokes War Powers Act

Could Israel use nuclear weapons?
The question of whether Israel will respond with nuclear weapons now looms over the conflict. According to SIPRI, Israel possesses around 90 nuclear warheads.

Netanyahu has long opposed nuclear agreements with Iran, insisting Tehran can't be trusted. Now, amid Iranian missile strikes, speculation grows that Israel could use the nuclear option.

Defence analyst and Indian Air Force veteran Vijainder K Thakur wrote on X: "Both Trump and Netanyahu are clear that if Iran doesn’t back down, they will use nuclear weapons."

Some analysts suggest that Israel may be letting some missiles through its Iron Dome to justify extreme retaliation. But such a move would need American approval — and that seems unlikely. It would also mean formally acknowledging Israel's nuclear status and could deepen its diplomatic isolation.

Also Read: Inside Israel’s midnight blitz which took aim at Iran’s nuclear arsenal: 60 jets, 100 bombs, and a nuclear target in flames

United States keeps its cards close
US President Donald Trump, a key ally of Netanyahu, has oscillated between diplomacy and threats. "Nobody knows what I’ll do," he said recently. He also speculated online about killing Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, before demanding Tehran’s "unconditional surrender."

Meanwhile, fears of wider conflict continue to grow. Russia has warned that any Israeli attack on Iran’s Bushehr nuclear plant could cause a "Chornobyl-style catastrophe" in the Gulf.

Also Read: Is it a dragon? Iran’s mysterious hypersonic Fattah missile, flying at 15 times the speed of sound, goes viral

The Hypersonic hype: Real or just speed?
Iran insists it has used hypersonic missiles against Israel, but global experts remain unconvinced.

Hypersonic weapons travel at speeds above Mach 5, but speed alone isn’t enough. "This is a hugely complicated task. The Iranians don’t have the capacity to manufacture them," said Jack Watling of the Royal United Services Institute.

"Radar can see a missile on a ballistic curve because it’s above the radar horizon. If it’s a hypersonic glide vehicle, it can fly lower and hills get in the way," he explained.

Iran has claimed to use the Fattah-1. Still, Kalisky says, "The Fattah 1 has had minimal success. Iran has two fast and manoeuvrable missiles — Khorramshahr and Fattah 2 — that would be more difficult to intercept. But neither have been deployed."

The Israel-Iran conflict comes at a time when fears of nuclear proliferation are already on the rise. Russia, North Korea, and even Pakistan are believed to be expanding or modernising their nuclear capabilities.

A 2022 SIPRI report warned that the world is entering a new nuclear arms race. This war may just be the spark that turns a regional conflict into a global crisis.

With advanced weapons, shifting alliances, and nuclear threats flying across the airwaves, the stakes have never been higher.