Israel Says It Killed Nine Top Iranian Nuclear Scientists in Opening Strike

The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) announced Saturday that it had eliminated nine senior Iranian nuclear scientists in the opening phase of a major military offensive targeting Iran's nuclear program. The strikes began early Friday and mark a significant escalation in the region's long-standing tensions.

In a detailed statement, the IDF described the operation as a "critical blow" to Iran's nuclear ambitions. The military said those killed were key contributors to Iran's efforts to develop nuclear weapons, holding decades of experience in nuclear and engineering sciences.

The scientists were identified as:

• Fereydoon Abbasi, nuclear engineering expert
• Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, physicist
• Akbar Motalebi Zadeh, chemical engineer
• Saeed Barji, materials engineering specialist
• Amir Hassan Fakhahi, physicist
• Abd al-Hamid Minoushehr, reactor physics expert
• Mansour Asgari, physicist
• Ahmad Reza Zolfaghari Daryani, nuclear engineer
• Ali Bakhouei Katirimi, mechanical engineering expert

The IDF noted that many among the dead were seen as potential successors to Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, Iran's top nuclear scientist assassinated in 2020 and widely believed to be the architect of Iran's nuclear weapons drive.

According to Israeli officials, the scientists were killed in coordinated airstrikes on Tehran, part of a broader assault that also claimed the lives of several senior Iranian military commanders, including six high-ranking officers.

The military said the operation was the result of "years-long clandestine intelligence gathering" targeting Iran's nuclear leadership. It involved extensive research by Israeli intelligence analysts, with efforts accelerating over the past year under a classified initiative.

"The elimination of these key figures severely impacts Iran's ability to develop a nuclear weapon," the IDF claimed, asserting that the move was part of a compartmentalised military strategy.

Further details on the scope of the offensive and Iran's response are yet to emerge.

(With inputs from Agencies)