A wave of covert Israeli strikes has reportedly killed 10 Iranian nuclear scientists, marking a dramatic escalation in the shadow war between Israel and Iran. The latest assassination targeted Dr. Seyed Isar Tabatabaei Qomsheh, a senior physicist with Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation, and his wife at their home in Tehran early Saturday morning.
Dr. Tabatabaei, a renowned expert in reactor physics, is the tenth scientist killed in what Iranian media reports describe as part of a broader Israeli campaign. Though Iranian authorities confirmed the couple’s deaths, they withheld details about the method of attack. Reports suggest the strike bore hallmarks of previous Israeli operations involving highly classified technology.
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The latest killing follows an earlier string of assassinations under “Operation Narnia,” in which nine Iranian nuclear experts were eliminated in synchronized strikes at their residences. These attacks are reportedly linked to a larger Israeli intelligence initiative dubbed “Operation Rising Lion.”
While Israel has not officially acknowledged involvement, unnamed Israeli security officials told international outlets that the actions were designed to halt what they termed Iran’s “irreversible nuclear progress.” They alleged that the targeted scientists were working on projects considered a direct threat to Israeli national security.
The campaign draws strong parallels with the 2020 killing of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, Iran’s top nuclear scientist, in an ambush widely attributed to Israeli intelligence. As regional tensions deepen, the latest round of assassinations risks further destabilizing an already volatile Middle East.
