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Netanyahu Confirms Nuclear Scientists Killed
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Thursday night that Israeli attacks have killed several top Iranian nuclear scientists involved in developing nuclear weapons, marking a major escalation in the ongoing conflict .
Speaking at a news conference, Netanyahu denounced Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, as a “puppet of the Revolutionary Guards” who cannot appear in public. He directly addressed the Iranian people, saying the moment for a “new path of freedom” was approaching and that Israel stands with them .
“At the end of the day, it depends on you,” Netanyahu told the Iranian people. “It is in your hands” .
🎯 Target: Taleghan 2 Nuclear Facility
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that the strikes targeted the Taleghan 2 nuclear facility at the Parchin military complex, approximately 19 kilometers southeast of Tehran . The IDF stated the compound was “utilized by the regime to advance critical capabilities for developing nuclear weapons” .
Key details of the strike:
- Precision strikes: Satellite imagery from Vantor and analysis by the Institute for Science and International Security confirmed precision hits showing three large penetration holes atop the facility
- Rebuilt site: Iran had rebuilt and buried the site under concrete and soil after an earlier Israeli strike in October 2024
- AMAD Project connection: Taleghan 2 was originally a key site under Iran’s covert AMAD nuclear weapons program in the early 2000s, housing a high-explosive test chamber for developing nuclear warhead initiation systems
The IDF said it had “recently identified that the regime has taken steps to rehabilitate the compound” after the 2024 strike .
📍 Operation “Roaring Lion”
The strikes are part of a broader offensive named Operation Roaring Lion (sometimes translated as “Like a Lion”), which began on February 28 as a joint U.S.-Israeli campaign to remove what Israel described as “the existential threat” posed by Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs .
The IDF stated that the operation caused extensive damage to Iran’s missile stockpile and missile manufacturing plants, in addition to targeting scientists . Netanyahu said the operation also “targeted additional scientists” beyond those already killed .
📊 What We Know About the Scientists Killed
While Netanyahu confirmed that “senior nuclear scientists” were killed, specific names have not been officially released by Israeli officials. However, the context includes:
- Previous assassinations: The killing follows a long history of targeted killings of Iranian nuclear scientists, including Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, who was killed in November 2020 in an attack Iran blamed on Israel . Netanyahu had previously told the public to “remember that name” when discussing Fakhrizadeh .
- Operational scope: The IDF stated that “IDF intelligence continued to follow the scientists’ activities and located their new location at this site in a manner that enabled a precise strike” .
🌍 Casualties and Damage
Iranian state TV reported that “an entire alley” in the area near Resalat square in Tehran had been destroyed in the strikes . The semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that approximately 40 people were killed in the attacks, though this figure includes military personnel and civilians in addition to scientists .
Local resident Marzieh Darabi described the scene: “When I got out of the building and reached the alley, it was then that I realised the extent of the damage. I heard people screaming from homes and asking for help. I felt frustrated because I could not do anything” .
💥 U.S. Role and Military Context
The U.S. military said Thursday that American forces have now struck more than 6,000 targets since the operation against Iran began, including more than 30 minelaying vessels .
The size and precision of the impact points at Taleghan 2 raised questions about which munitions struck the hardened target. The 30,000-pound GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, a deep-penetration bomb capable of reaching buried nuclear sites, can only be delivered by U.S. B-2 bombers. U.S. Central Command declined to comment when contacted .
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Thursday that the cost of the Iran war was “not something that we have to worry about,” even as the Pentagon disclosed that the first week alone cost the United States $11.3 billion .
📈 Broader Conflict Escalates
The scientist killings come amid wider regional escalation:
- Hezbollah attacks: Iran-backed Hezbollah militants launched some 200 rockets from Lebanon at northern Israel
- Strikes on Beirut: Israel struck a building in central Beirut’s Bashoura district near Lebanon’s parliament and international embassies
- Gulf states targeted: Drone strikes were reported in Bahrain, Kuwait, Dubai, and Saudi Arabia, with several U.S. personnel injured in Irbil, Iraq
- Displacement crisis: The UN refugee agency said up to 3.2 million people in Iran have been displaced, fleeing Tehran and other major cities toward northern or rural areas
U.S. President Donald Trump has promised to “finish the job,” stating in a social media post Thursday that ensuring Iran does not develop a nuclear weapon was a higher priority than soaring oil prices, which have topped $100 per barrel .
🔮 What Comes Next
Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei—who succeeded his slain father and is believed to be wounded—issued his first public statement Thursday, vowing to keep up attacks on Gulf Arab countries and use the closure of the Strait of Hormuz as leverage .
He also warned of “opening other fronts in which the enemy has little experience and would be highly vulnerable” if the war continues, without elaborating . Netanyahu’s announcement of the scientist killings signals that Israel intends to continue targeting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and personnel as the conflict enters its third week.
