Iran's top nuclear scientist was assassinated by Israeli weapon: State Media

Following the assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, the nuclear scientist that led Iran’s disbanded military program, Tehran’s English-language Press TV said on November 30 that the weapon used in the killing was made in Israel. An unnamed source revealed to Iranian state media that the weapon collected from the site where country’s top scientist was killed on November 27 “bears the logo and specifications of the Israeli military industry”. 

However, in an interview before the report was published, Israeli intelligence minister Eli cohen had told a radio station that he did not know who was responsible for the murder that heightened the tensions in the region.

Fakhrizadeh was killed last week in an armed attack that according to an Associated Press report, bore the fears of military-style ambush, likes of which Israel has been accused of carrying out in the past. The Friday incident in Iran not only ignited tensions in the region but Tehran also placed the blame of the murder on Israel and Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei demanding “definitive punishment”.

Meanwhile, Iran also began the burial of the nuclear scientist in a cemetery in northern Tehran on November 30 with Iranian defence minister also vowed to retaliate to the killing. Even though he had little public profile, Fakhrizadeh was reportedly named by Israel as a prime player in Iran’s nuclear weapon’s quest.

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Iran writes to UN asserting ‘right to defend’

Following the assassination of Iran’s top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javed Zarif accused Israel of being involved in the murder plot and further called on the international community to put an end to “act of state terror”. Fakhrizadeh was killed on the outskirts of capital Tehran after gunmen attacked his car on Friday.

 The Islamic Republic's state media reported that minutes before Fakhrizadeh was ambushed, a truck ridden with explosives blew up near his car, forcing his sedan to stop. The reports added that at least five gunmen then emerged and started firing at Fakhrizadeh's car continuously, killing the scientist and his bodyguard. 

After the incident, Iran wrote a letter to the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the UNSC claiming there are “serious indications of Israeli responsibility” and Iran would be looking to defend itself. While taking to Twitter, Zarif called on the international community and asked them to condemn the act and end the “state terror”. 

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Image: AP