Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the country's attack on Iran last month hit an element of Tehran's nuclear program.

Israel conducted the air attack on October 26.

Speaking in parliament on Monday, Netanyahu said a specific component in Iran's nuclear program was hit in the attack. He also said it is not a secret.

The remark appears to be his first mention of inflicting damage on a nuclear-related target, in a move likely designed to keep Iran in check.

US news site Axios last Friday quoted US officials and current and former Israeli officials as saying that last month's air attack by Israel destroyed a top secret nuclear weapons research facility in Parchin, near Tehran.

Fearing a possible spread of the fighting, the United States has called on Israel to refrain from attacking Iran's nuclear facilities.

Concerns are mounting that if Iran strikes again, the cycle of retaliatory attacks between the two major powers in the Middle East could spiral out of control.