Israeli Strikes Kill 9 Iranian Scientists, Continuing Mossad’s Decade-Long Targeting of Nuclear Program

Nine of Iran’s leading nuclear scientists have been killed in a pre-emptive Israeli airstrike. This incident adds to the series of successful operations by Israel aimed at Iran’s nuclear experts.

What Happened: Israel launched a large-scale airstrike against Iran, effectively eliminating some of the Islamic Republic’s top military and scientific leaders.

Israel justified its actions by citing Iran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program and the slow pace of negotiations between Tehran and the US.

Since 2010, Israel’s intelligence agency, the Mossad, has been associated with the targeted killings of at least four other Iranian scientists.

The most high-profile of these was the 2020 assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a physics professor viewed by Israel and Western officials as the mastermind behind Iran’s nuclear weapons program.

Also Read: Israeli Airstrikes Damage Iran’s Nuclear Sites, Experts Assess Impact

The recent strikes reportedly claimed the lives of at least nine top Iranian nuclear scientists, including Fereidoun Abbasi, a former head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, and Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, head of Iran’s Islamic Azad University in Tehran.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Friday that his goal was to neutralize any Iranian threat to Israel. Following the strikes, Iran’s top diplomat declared the scheduled talks with the US about Iran’s nuclear program “meaningless”.

Why It Matters: The recent Israeli airstrikes mark a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran. The targeted elimination of Iran’s top nuclear scientists could significantly hamper Iran’s nuclear program.

This development could also further strain the already tense relations between the two nations and potentially derail the ongoing negotiations between Iran and the US.

The international community will be closely monitoring the fallout from these strikes and its impact on regional stability.