Iran says three more nuclear scientists killed in Israeli strikes

Three members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting northwestern Zanjan city, Tasnim News Agency reported on Saturday.

Israeli military officials said on Saturday that Israel has attacked more than 150 targets across Iran using hundreds of munitions, including significant strikes on two nuclear sites, Reuters reported.

An Israeli military spokesperson said the aerial route to Tehran is "effectively open," indicating enhanced operational reach over Iranian airspace.

Iran fired around 200 ballistic missiles towards Israel in four barrages, he added.

He added that nine senior nuclear Iranian scientists were killed in the attacks.

The officials confirmed that the Esfahan and Natanz nuclear facilities sustained substantial damage, and repairs at both sites are expected to take several weeks. Israel has not yet operated in Fordow nuclear facility, he added.

Iran’s Supreme Leader has appointed Brigadier General Majid Mousavi as the new commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) Aerospace Force, following the death of Major General Amir Ali Hajizadeh.

An Iranian military spokesman said on Saturday that Israeli electronic interference was responsible for some Iranian missiles striking residential areas during the attack on Israel.

Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi, spokesman for Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff, said the missile strikes were intended to hit military targets. However, he said Israeli electronic countermeasures disrupted their course.

“If some of our missiles hit residential areas, it was because Israel created interference to prevent the missiles from striking military targets,” Shekarchi was quoted as saying by Iranian state media.

He added that “a number of these missiles were diverted to other areas under these jamming conditions.”