IAEA confirms Israeli strike damaged Arak nuclear site

The global nuclear watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirms an Israeli attack on an Iranian nuclear site under construction near the city of Arak caused damage to "key buildings," BBC reports. 

Israeli warplanes bombed the Arak heavy water reactor on Thursday, though the IAEA said the facility contained no nuclear material.

Heavy water reactors use a chemically distinct type of water as a coolant.

Reactors like Arak facility, 250km southwest of Tehran, can be used for scientific purposes, but as a byproduct create plutonium, which can used to make nuclear weapons.

In a statement, the head of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, says while there has been no "major radiological incident" as a result of Israeli strikes, there is still risk of a "radiological accident".

"Amid theses challenging and complex circumstances," the statement says, "it is crucial that the IAEA receives timely and regular technical information about the nuclear facilities."