Mag 5.1 earthquake strikes Iran near capital Tehran...

It comes as Israel continues to pound Iran's nuclear facilities and other military targets

Sayan Bose,

A STRONG earthquake of 5.1 magnitude has struck northern Iran amid a war with Israel.

The quake struck some 22 miles away from Iran's Semnan region at 9:19pm local time and was also felt in Tehran's Qom region.

Desert landscape with mountains in the background.
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A strong magnitude 5.1 earthquake hit 22 miles away from Semnan, IranCredit: Alamy
Illustration of earthquake in Iran, showing map with epicenter near Semnan and Tehran.
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Large fire engulfing a building in a city, with a massive plume of black smoke rising into the air.
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Iran State Radio and Television (IRIB) building was smoking after a direct Israeli strikeCredit: REXNEWS
It is understood to be a shallow quake.

Semnan is home to the Semnan Missile Complex operated by Iran's military as well as the Semnan Space Centre.

Meanwhile, Israel continues to pound Iran's nuclear facilities and other military targets.

The goal, as the Israelis say, is to thwart the Iranian regime's efforts to produce nuclear weapons as well as more ballistic missiles.

It also includes long-range weapons that can strike targets far beyond Israel.

So far, Israel has struck dozens of military targets as well as several nuclear facilities across Iran.

This includes a water reactor at the Arak nuclear plant in Iran.

Pictures of the aftermath showed what appears to be a giant crater on the top of the reactor within the facility.

The nuclear site had been "inactive" as it was yet to be completed, but the IDF said it had to be taken out because it was designed to cultivate plutonium for use in nuclear weapons.

Alongside Arak, Israel has confirmed strikes on the reactors at Natanz and Isfahan.

An IDF spokesperson also said that fighter jets had also struck the Bushehr nuclear power plant - which is the only working one in the country.

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But in a U-turn, the IDF then retracted the claim, with a spokesperson saying: "It was a mistake," and that he could not confirm or deny that the facility had been targeted.

At the heart of its nuclear program is the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, which is encased in steel more than 300 feet beneath solid rock - and has so far escaped serious damage.

Israel’s arsenal lacks huge bunker buster bombs needed to destroy the underground enrichment facility - some 125 miles from capital Tehran.

Only America currently has the fearsome GBU-57 bombs capable of blitzing Fordow.

It's a Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bomb that can penetrate deep inside the ground before blowing up.

Illustration of the GBU-57 MOP bomb, its specs, and its impact on an underground target, along with images of Donald Trump and Hassan Rouhani.
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The 20-foot-long monster bomb can explode to obliterate enemy targets that are often hidden beneath mountains and massive layers of rocks.

Its 30,000lb weight means that its sheer kinetic force enables it to reach deeply buried targets - almost 200ft beneath the surface.

At the heart of Tehran's nuclear program is the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, which is encased in steel more than 300 feet beneath solid rock - and has so far escaped serious damage.

Israel’s arsenal lacks huge bunker buster bombs needed to destroy the underground enrichment facility - some 125 miles from capital Tehran.

Only America currently has the fearsome GBU-57 bombs capable of blitzing Fordow.

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