6 Iranian nuclear scientists killed in Israeli attacks

According to a report by Iran's Tasnim news agency, six Iranian nuclear scientists have been killed in a series of Israeli attacks.

The deceased scientists are Abdullah Minouchehr, Ahmad Reza Jolfaghari, Saeed Amir Hossein Fakhi, Motlabizadeh, Fereydoun Abbasi, and Mohammad Mehdi Tehranichi.

Fereydoun Abbasi, the former head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization (AEOI), led the country’s nuclear program for 25 years. He survived a previous assassination attempt in 2010. Mohammad Mehdi Tehranichi was the president of Tehran’s Islamic Azad University. Details about the other scientists are still emerging.

Early Friday morning, Israeli forces launched attacks on multiple sites across Iran. The strikes reportedly killed several high-ranking officials, including the head of Iran’s military and the Commander-in-Chief of the Revolutionary Guards.

According to a BBC report, the operation, named “Operation Rising Lion,” was aimed at crippling Iran’s nuclear program. Israeli forces conducted the attacks in five phases, targeting at least eight locations across the country.

Confirmed sites of the airstrikes include military facilities in and around Tehran; Natanz, home to Iran’s primary uranium enrichment center; Tabriz, where explosions occurred near a nuclear research center and two military bases; as well as Isfahan, Arak, and Kermanshah.

Media reports indicated 6 to 9 explosions across Tehran, including in residential buildings.

Tehran has vowed a strong response to Israel’s deadly attacks on its nuclear facilities and other strategic locations.