'Bunker-busting' bombs and Iran's nuclear base on a mountain

Israel's number one goal in launching attacks on Iran appears to be to destroy its potential to create a nuclear weapon.

One of Iran's main nuclear sites, the Fordow nuclear fuel enrichment plant, is deep underground in a mountain.

If the US decides to support Israel more directly in its attacks on Iran, one possibility could be to provide 'bunker-busting' bombs.

Such a bomb, which Israel does not currently possess the means to use, could penetrate deep enough to damage such a structure and help destroy Tehran's nuclear capabilities, writes Sky News.

What is a bunker buster?

"Bunker destroyer" is a broad term to describe bombs designed to penetrate deep below the surface before exploding.

The latest bomb in the American arsenal is the GBU-57 A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator bomb.

It is a precision-guided bomb weighing approximately 13,600 kg, according to the US Air Force, and is believed to be capable of penetrating 61 m (200 ft) deep before exploding.

Multiple bombs can be dropped one after the other, effectively drilling deeper and deeper into the ground.

Iran's mountain nuclear base

Fordow is Iran's second nuclear enrichment facility after Natanz, its main facility.

So far, Israeli attacks are not believed to have seriously damaged the underground areas of Natanz.

Fordow is smaller than Natanz and is built on the slope of a mountain near the city of Qom, about 60 miles southwest of Tehran.

It is about 80 meters under rocks and earth and is said to be protected from Iranian and Russian surface-to-air missile systems.

These may have been hit during the Israeli campaign so far.

Israel's goal may be to 'eliminate' the Fordow site

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the aim of the attack on Iran was to eliminate its nuclear and missile programs, and Israeli officials have said Fordow is part of that plan.

"This entire operation... must end with the elimination of Fordow," Yechiel Leiter, Israel's ambassador to the U.S., told Fox News on Friday.