Israel Releases List Of Top Iranian Nuclear Scientists, Army Officials It Killed | Video

Last Updated:June 14, 2025, 16:47 IST

Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure eliminated top military commanders and nine nuclear scientists.

A building stands damaged in the aftermath of Israeli strikes, in Tehran. (Reuters)

Israeli forces launched a wave of overnight airstrikes, targeting Iran’s nuclear and military sites under ‘Operation Rising Lion’, wiping out the top Iranian military leadership and partially destroying the crucial Natanz nuclear facility in one of the biggest direct attacks between the two long-time foes.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on Saturday said three more nuclear scientists were killed in another round of massive Israeli strikes. These scientists and experts were “key factors" in the development of Iranian nuclear weapons. The Israeli military also released the list of military officials and nuclear scientists it had eliminated.

Iran also confirmed the deaths of three more nuclear scientists, taking the total number of slain scientists to nine. Meanwhile, Iran launched hundreds of missiles against multiple targets in Israel on Friday night and early Saturday in retaliation for Israeli strikes, resulting in two deaths.

Military Commanders Killed In Israeli Strikes

Hossein Salami: The commander-in-chief of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), Salami was one of the most powerful people in Iran and was personally appointed in the position by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameini.

Mohammad Bagheri: He was the chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces since 2016. Born in 1960, Bagheri joined the IRGC during the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s and played a crucial role in establishing the IRGC’s intelligence.

Amir Ali Hajizadeh: He was the head of the Revolutionary Guards’ Aerospace Force and was in charge of the country’s missiles programme. Israeli forces said Hajizadeh had directed Iran’s missile attacks on Israel in October and April last year. He also took responsibility for downing a Ukrainian passenger plane in 2020, killing all 176 people on board.

Gholamali Rashid: He was the head of the IRGC’s Khatam al Anbia headquarters, which coordinates joint Iranian military operations. He was formerly the deputy chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces.

Daoud Shihyan: He served as the Air Defence Commander.

Taher Pur: He was the Unmanned Aerial Forces Commander in Iran.

Nuclear Scientists Eliminated

A total of nine nuclear scientists who were responsible for Iran’s controversial nuclear programme were killed in the Israeli strikes. Five of them were identified as:

Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani: He was a nuclear scientist who served as the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation between 2011 and 2013.

Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi: The head of Azad University.

Abdulhamid Minouchehr: He served as the head of nuclear engineering at Iran’s Shahid Beheshti University.

Ahmad Reza Zolfaghari: He was a nuclear engineering professor at Shahid Beheshti University.

Amirhossein Feqhi: He was another nuclear professor at Shahid Beheshti University.

Akbar Motalebi Zadeh: He was an expert in chemical engineering.

The three scientists confirmed killed on Saturday were identified as Bekaei Karimi, Mansour Asgari, and Saeed Borji.

Jerusalem, Israel

News world Israel Releases List Of Top Iranian Nuclear Scientists, Army Officials It Killed | Video