New Delhi: Israel Defence Forces claimed to have eliminated nine senior scientists and experts responsible for advancing the Iranian regime’s nuclear weapons program. “All of the eliminated scientists and experts, eliminated based on intelligence, were key factors in the development of Iranian nuclear weapons. Their elimination is a significant blow to the regime’s ability to acquire weapons of mass destruction,” the IDF wrote on X.
🔴 ELIMINATED: 9 senior scientists and experts responsible for advancing the Iranian regime’s nuclear weapons program.
All of the eliminated scientists and experts, eliminated based on intelligence, were key factors in the development of Iranian nuclear weapons.
Their… pic.twitter.com/B33dGTyG1v
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 14, 2025
‘Tehran will burn….’
Amid escalated tension, Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz warned Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that “Tehran will burn” if it keeps firing missiles at Israeli civilians.
“The Iranian dictator is taking the citizens of Iran hostage, bringing about a reality in which they, and especially Teheran’s residents, will pay a heavy price for the flagrant harm inflicted upon Israel’s citizens.
“If Khamenei continues to fire missiles at the Israeli home front, Tehran will burn,” Katz said in a statement.
In a dramatic escalation of tensions, Iran launched a wave of missile and drone strikes against Israel, retaliating for a deadly Israeli airstrike that claimed the lives of several top Iranian military officials. The strikes triggered air-raid sirens across northern Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, with authorities urging civilians to take cover.
The fresh hostilities follow Israel’s ‘Operation Rising Lion’, a targeted military operation that struck Iranian soil, killing key figures including Hossein Salami, chief of the Revolutionary Guards, and Gen Mohammad Bagheri, chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces. The Israeli government claimed the operation was based on intelligence suggesting Iran’s nuclear programme was nearing a critical, irreversible stage.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the offensive, describing it as a necessary action to protect Israel’s existence. “This operation will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat,” Netanyahu said.
In response, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed revenge. In a televised address, he condemned the Israeli attacks, declaring, “They started this war. We won’t allow them to escape unscathed from this great crime.”
The rapid tit-for-tat strikes have raised fears of a broader regional conflict, marking one of the Middle East’s most dangerous confrontations in years.
