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Significance of the Targeted Nuclear Scientists in the Iran War
(Institute for Science and International Security) Israel has named 11 nuclear scientists that were eliminated during the 12-day war with Iran. Media reporting has identified several others who died, bringing the total to 19 scientists. The elimination of these nuclear scientists deprived Iran's nuclear weapons program of its most capable and experienced personnel. Recovery may be far more difficult for Iran and take far longer. In an apparent effort to pre-empt recovery and recruitment, Israel threatened a far larger group of scientists during the war via social media, warning them explicitly that death awaits them, and potentially their families, if they work on nuclear weapons. Israel also offered rewards and safety to informants who provide information about secret nuclear activities. Many cite the phrase "knowledge cannot be destroyed." But in Iran's highly secretive nuclear weapons program, fearful of the risk of leaks, it is likely that full knowledge of the most sensitive and most current developments in the program and how individual parts were intended to work together existed only in the heads of a few.