The nuclear scientists were killed using a special weapon whose details were barred from publication, Channel 12 says.

The 10th nuclear scientist was killed shortly after the other nine, as part of the overnight Thursday-Friday Israeli operation, which included strikes on Iran’s ballistic missile program and the Natanz nuclear site, along with the elimination of top members of the Islamic Republic’s military leadership, the network says.

The nuclear scientists were all killed while they were sleeping in their beds, with Israel deciding to carry out the assassinations simultaneously so that there wouldn’t be time to tip off those being targeted.

The scientists apparently believed they were safe from such targeting in their homes, a senior Israeli official tells Channel 12, noting that previously assassinated nuclear scientists were killed while heading to their cars after work.

Israel had been tracking Iranian nuclear scientists for years and the ten killed last week were marked for assassination in November of last year, Channel 12 says.

Just when I feel like dystopian news can’t really disturb me anymore…

Leaving this totally unrelated article about Palantir and Israel here for absolutely no reason at all…

How Israel Uses AI in Gaza—And What It Might Mean for the Future of Warfare:

A program known as “The Gospel” generates suggestions for buildings and structures militants may be operating in. “Lavender” is programmed to identify suspected members of Hamas and other armed groups for assassination, from commanders all the way down to foot soldiers. “Where’s Daddy?” reportedly follows their movements by tracking their phones in order to target them—often to their homes, where their presence is regarded as confirmation of their identity. The air strike that follows might kill everyone in the target’s family, if not everyone in the apartment building.

Abraham, whose report relies on conversations with six Israeli intelligence officers with first-hand experience in Gaza operations after Oct. 7, quoted targeting officers as saying they found themselves deferring to the Lavender program, despite knowing that it produces incorrect targeting suggestions in roughly 10% of cases.

  • SinningStromgald@lemmy.world
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    19 hours ago

    Israel had been tracking Iranian nuclear scientists for years and the ten killed last week were marked for assassination in November of last year, Channel 12 says.

    This bit stood out to me. Israel has been planning this war since at least November of last year. Israel’s current actions say this wasn’t a simple “what if…” contingency plan that a government comes up with. This was a plan they were going to put into action soon. Makes it even more disgusting to me.

      • TheLiveFive@lemm.ee
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        Yeah it’s not that Israel is planning this, it’s that this is the plan of Israel the whole thing is this plan.

    • jonne@infosec.pub
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      I mean, that’s not really surprising. Every military makes plans for any contingency, and Israel especially has always been paranoid about Iran’s nuclear programme, so of course they would make sure they’re tracking the scientists in case they needed to make a move.

      The disgusting part is them just pulling the trigger for political reasons instead of actual intelligence that indicates a breakout. And obviously killing civilians, which the scientists and their families are, but obviously Israel has shown in the past they don’t care about that.

      • Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world
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        11 hours ago

        Every military makes plans for any contingency,

        In defense, to respond to an attack. The word contingency is important.

        If the military is planning acts of aggression then that is called preparing for war.

      • Ledericas@lemm.ee
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        12 hours ago

        netanyahu is using the aggression as a way to stave off his own criminal trials prior to him being re-elected.

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      18 hours ago

      This was clear since such a big and supposedly effective intelligence apparatus failed to stop or warn about the Hamas attack that gave Israel pretext to go full ethnic cleaning and warmongering.

      They knew, they allowed it, and paid a modest price in Israeli casualties to kickstart their plan. Also, Ukraine was attracting all the war funding, they couldn’t risk USA reducing their military allowance.

      I hate that USA is enabling them, and at the same time being hipocritical about wanting a peaceful solution. Cut their funding if you want to stop them. Freeze their assets like NATO did with Russia. Act, don’t talk.

      • technocrit@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        5 hours ago

        I hate that USA is enabling them,

        USA is just as guilty as the genocidal cult, perhaps even more so. Somehow I have more sympathy for the brainwashed than the profiteering.

      • rumimevlevi@lemmings.world
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        7 hours ago

        There we again with the israel has superior inteligence that can’t never make mistakes bs.

        Israel has many impressive operations but it doesn’t mean everything bad happen in israel is just according to a plan

      • Jessica@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        16 hours ago

        It would take one phone call from the President, and the genocide would stop. Biden could have done it, and Trump still can. I don’t see the US governments unwavering support of Israel ever ending.

          • Jessica@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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            6 hours ago

            I don’t see how that is naive at all. We prop Israel up. If the president calls Bibi and threatens to stop all aid, unless they imposed a ceasefire, it would happen. They have so much power, tech and weaponry because we give it to them. If we pointed the barrel of the most powerful military on earth at them, they would cease immediately.

          • nomy@lemmy.zip
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            8 hours ago

            You’ll need to elaborate if you want to actually contribute.

            • michaelmrose@lemmy.world
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              The president of the US doesn’t have their hand up the PM of Israel’s ass. This is especially true of Biden who was known to be on his way out either way. We can withdraw support but its difficult for the US pres to do so unilaterally when Israel is politically popular on both side. Given the lack of power to make it stick such a phone call from Biden would have been ignored in favor of waiting for a change of regime.

    • Bloomcole@lemmy.world
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      10 hours ago

      They have been bombing Iran for years, OC these lunatics had these plans already.

    • Basic Glitch@lemm.eeOP
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      18 hours ago

      Fuck, also explains why Netenyahu jumped at the opportunity as soon as he avoided having his government dissolved by vote. Fuuuuck this is so much evil bullshit.

      • Saleh@feddit.org
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        9 hours ago

        I strongly recommend you to listen to Ilan Pappe. He describes well how Israels society has deep internal rifts as the narrative of Zionism ultimately failed to build a cohesive society.

        So ultimately Israel needs the eternal war for two main reasons:

        1. To keep the support by its western lapdogs up, by presenting itself as the eternal victim under war.
        2. To keep the internal pressure contained by the necessity to hold together because of war.

        See for example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9rr3j7vZGo

      • TheLiveFive@lemm.ee
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        2 hours ago

        I’m sure you still think it was a great thing we got to iraq before they set off those wmd’s

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        7 hours ago

        It’s civilian scientists working on nuclear energy we are talking about.

        You’re part of the problem.

        • TheRealKuni@lemmy.world
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          6 hours ago

          It’s civilian scientists working on nuclear energy we are talking about.

          Is it though? What level of enrichment do they need for a nuclear energy program, and what level of enrichment were they at? I think it’s naive to say they weren’t working on a weapon.

          I’m not saying it justifies killing civilian scientists, but we ought to be honest about the why.

          • kcweller@feddit.nl
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            6 hours ago

            Where is the evidence that they are working on a weapon? There are people getting murdered because people have become brainwashed enough to just assume Iran is working on a nukes.

            I’m just saying, killing civilians on the basis of assumption is a pretty terrorist move and feels very similar to how Iraq was bombed to hell by America. But hey, that’s just my 2 cents.

            • TheRealKuni@lemmy.world
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              6 hours ago

              According to the IAEA, the Natanz site was producing uranium enriched to 60% u-235.

              For electricity, you need 3-5% u-235.

              That’s not an energy program, that’s a weapons program.

              • kcweller@feddit.nl
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                5 hours ago

                And it’s on the IAEA to declare that they are indeed working on a weapons program, not speculation and assumption like yours.

                • TheRealKuni@lemmy.world
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                  4 hours ago

                  And it’s on the IAEA to declare that they are indeed working on a weapons program, not speculation and assumption like yours.

                  Okay. Don’t use your reason if you’d prefer not to. It does make me wonder though:

                  Do you think the killing of the civilian scientists was wrong because they were civilian scientists, or because they were ostensibly working on an energy program?

                  Because as I said, I’m not claiming the murders were justified, just that we ought to be honest about the why.

                  There are plenty making the argument that Iran needs a nuclear weapons program to prevent exactly these types of attacks. That is intellectually honest. I’m not sure where I fall on that argument, I’d rather no one have nuclear weapons (but obviously that’s not going to happen).

                  The difference between 5% and 60% enrichment is pretty huge. And the research and effort required to get there is neither cheap nor easy. If what they’re after is nuclear energy, there is absolutely no reason to continue risking the ire of the international community and the repeated attacks by Israel. They’ve had energy-level uranium for a very long time already.