Six Iranian nuclear scientists were killed early Friday in Israeli airstrikes that shattered Tehran’s defenses and jolted the region closer to a full-scale war, as Israel claimed the assault struck at the heart of a covert atomic weapons program.
The strikes, confirmed by Iranian state media, targeted multiple nuclear and military facilities in and around the capital, with footage showing smoke billowing from damaged compounds.
Among the dead were senior scientists Iran had long shielded from international scrutiny – now turned into symbols of a shadow war Israel says it could no longer contain.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, vowed “severe punishment,” as shock rippled through Tehran.
The state-run IRNA news agency reported not only the scientists’ deaths but also the loss of top military commanders.
Israeli officials, speaking anonymously due to the operation’s sensitivity, said the air force had struck “dozens” of critical installations tied to Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Israeli military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said intelligence revealed Iran had secretly advanced its weapons program, accelerating uranium enrichment in fortified underground facilities.
He alleged that the scientists killed were part of a clandestine effort to fast-track the building blocks for a nuclear bomb – an accusation Tehran has consistently denied.
The strike follows a rare and stinging censure of Iran by the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog just a day earlier.
In defiance, Iran had vowed to launch a third enrichment facility and upgrade its centrifuges, setting the stage for Israel’s preemptive move.
The Israeli military declared that Iran had reached a “point of no return,” with enriched uranium stockpiles and hardened bunkers leaving little time for diplomacy.
The operation also targeted Iran’s air defense systems and sites believed to coordinate military aid to regional proxies.
While Israel said it acted alone, the shadow of U.S. knowledge and approval loomed large, as Washington distanced itself publicly but warned Iran against retaliating.
As air raid sirens rang out across Israel and its skies closed to commercial flights, fears of an Iranian counterstrike mounted.
Meanwhile, talks over Iran’s nuclear program – scheduled for Sunday in Oman – now hang by a thread.
