Tehran [Iran], August 12: After dozens of Iranian nuclear scientists were killed by Israel in a 12-day operation called Operation Lion Rising in June, Iran is believed to have taken the remaining experts into hiding.
The Telegraph recently quoted a senior Iranian official as saying that most of the country's nuclear scientists no longer live in their own homes or teach at universities, but have been moved to safe locations in Tehran or in northern coastal cities. In their new locations, the scientists live in villas with their families.
Iran is also said to have replaced nuclear experts teaching at universities "with people unrelated to the nuclear program." Previously, Iranian universities were the target of fierce attacks from Israel.
Israeli experts warn that anyone who comes forward to inherit the work of deceased scientists will be "on the path to death," according to The Telegraph .
"The rest will be at the forefront of any Iranian effort to achieve the goal of building a nuclear bomb, so they will automatically become targets for Israel, as Tel Aviv has done in the past," said Danny Citrinowicz, former director of the Iran strategy department at Israel's Defense Intelligence Agency.
"I have no doubt about it. Any scientist working on the Iranian nuclear issue will be eliminated or threatened," Mr. Citrinowicz said.
According to The Telegraph , Israel is said to have drawn up a list of about 100 Iranian scientists who could be future targets to prevent Tehran's nuclear ambitions. Previously, protecting nuclear scientists was the sole responsibility of a single unit of Iran's Revolutionary Guards. However, after the recent conflict with Israel, this task has involved the participation of many agencies, according to The Times of Israel , citing an Iranian official.
The moves to beef up security for Iranian scientists come just days after the country on August 6 sentenced and executed Rouzbeh Vadi, a nuclear reactor engineer accused of spying for Israel and aiding in the attack on his colleagues.
Iran has launched a major spy crackdown following its conflict with Israel, arresting hundreds of people across the country and deporting more than a million Afghan refugees accused of spying for Israel. The nonprofit Hostage Air Worldwide says at least four Iranian-Americans are among the hundreds detained in the spy crackdown.
In mid-June, Israel launched an attack on Iran, killing at least 11 nuclear scientists and more than 30 senior Tehran security officials in a 12-day conflict. Israel said the large-scale attack on Iran's top military leaders, nuclear scientists, uranium enrichment sites and ballistic missile program was necessary to prevent Tehran from realizing its nuclear weapons ambitions.
Iran then responded by firing hundreds of missiles at Israeli cities, killing 29 people and injuring more than 3,000 others.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper