Hidden inside mountain, protected by Russian missiles: What's inside Iran's Fordow nuclear facility? Here's how it can be destroyed

As Israel intensifies its attacks to destroy Iran's nuclear facilities, it cannot easily attack the Fordow nuclear facility. Built into the side of a mountain, the facility is Tehran's second nuclear enrichment site after Natanz.

The secretive and heavily guarded complex is built close to the holy city of Qom. There have been speculations about its true nature and size since it was first made public in 2009.

All about Fordow nuclear facility

The main halls of the facility are an estimated 80 to 90 metres beneath the ground, to make it safe from any aerial bomb known to be possessed by Israel. It further makes it nearly impossible to destroy the site.

The construction of the facility began around 2006 and it became operational in 2009, the same year Iran publicly acknowledged its existence.

The site is reportedly protected by Iranian and Russian surface-to-air missile systems. But, those air defenses have likely been already struck in the Israeli attacks.

Can bunker-buster bombs help in this?

If Israel wants to destroy the Fordow nuclear facility, the US has to intervene and help in attacking the site.

The US has to provide "bunker-buster bombs" to Israel, which are believed to significantly damage the Fordow nuclear fuel enrichment plant.

The bunker buster is a wide term, used to describe bombs that are designed to penetrate deep below the surface before exploding.

The bomb has to be dropped from an American aircraft, which could have wide-ranging ramifications.

In this particular case, it refers to the latest GBU-57 A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator bomb in the American arsenal.

Roughly, it is the 30000-pound precision-guided bomb, and is guided to attack deeply buried and hardened bunkers and tunnels, according to the US Air Force.

Moreover, the bomb is believed to be able to penetrate about 200 feet below the surface before exploding and these bombs can be dropped one after another, which can effectively drill deeper and deeper with successive blasts.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed that they are attacking Iran to eliminate its missile and nuclear program, calling it an "existential threat to Israel."

"This entire operation ... really has to be completed with the elimination of Fordo,” Yechiel Leiter, Israel's ambassador to the US told Fox News.