Israel killed IRGC intelligence chief and his deputy, says Netanyahu as conflict rages on in Middle East
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed that Israel killed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) intelligence chief Brigadier General Mohammad Kazemi and his deputy, General Hassan Mohaqiq. Speaking to Fox News, Netanyahu said, 'Moments ago, I can tell you we got their chief intelligence officer and his deputy in Tehran.' This comes as Israeli media claims that at least 14 Iranian nuclear scientists have lost their lives in Israeli attacks since Friday (June 13), including in car bombs.The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released a list of nine scientists who worked on Iran's nuclear program and were killed in Israeli attacks.The nine among the 14 nuclear scientists killed were Fereydoun Abbasi (expert in nuclear engineering), Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi (expert in physics), Akbar Motalebi Zade (expert in chemical engineering), Said Barji (expert in materials science), Amir Hassan Fakhahi (expert in physics), Abd al-Hamid Minoushehr (expert in reactor physics), Mansour Asgari (expert in physics), Ahmad Reza Zolfaghari Daryani (expert in nuclear engineering), and Ali Bahuei Katirimi (expert in mechanics).The IDF press service stated that all the scientists who lost their lives in the Israeli airstrikes carried years of combined experience in the development of nuclear weapons. They were also prominent sources of knowledge in Iran's nuclear program. The IDF further stated that these scientists were the successors of Mohsen Fakhrizade, who is called the "father of the Iranian nuclear project." He died in 2020.Besides nuclear scientists, several military officials have also been killed in the strikes. The list includes Iran's chief of staff, Mohammad Bagheri; IRGC chief Hossein Salami; head of the Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters, Gholam Ali Rashid; IRGC Air Force chief Brig. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh; IRGC Air Force drone unit commander Taher Pour; and IRGC Air Force air defense unit commander Davoud Shaykhian.Meanwhile, amid the raging conflict in the Middle East, Israel unleashed airstrikes across Iran for a third day Sunday (June 15) and threatened even greater force as some Iranian missiles evaded Israeli air defenses to strike buildings in the heart of the country.Following the rise in tension, planned talks and negotiations on Iran's nuclear program, which could provide an off-ramp, were canceled. At least 406 people have lost their lives in Israel's strikes in Iran, and another 654 were left wounded, according to AP. Iran's government, however, has not offered overall casualty figures.The Middle East saw a conflict surge after Israel's surprise bombardment of Iranian nuclear and military sites on Friday killed several top generals and nuclear scientists.Tehran claimed that Israel struck two oil refineries, raising the prospect of a broader assault on Iran's heavily sanctioned energy industry that could affect global markets. The Israeli military, in a social media post, warned Iranians to evacuate arms factories, signaling a further widening of the campaign.
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