Dirty dozen
Iran threatens reprisals as it emerges 12-strong ‘Israeli’ team killed nuke chief
THE Foreign Secretary yesterday warned of ‘rising tensions’ in the Middle East as dramatic details emerged about the assassination of Iran’s top nuclear scientist.
Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was killed after 12 gunmen – allegedly Mossad agents – fired at his car near Tehran on Friday.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Iran would respond with the ‘definitive punishment of the perpetrators and those who ordered it’.
Dominic Raab joined international worry about the killing of the scientist, who Israel has long alleged was building military atomic weapons.
He told Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme: ‘We are concerned about the situation in Iran and the wider region. We do want to see a de-escalation of tensions.
I would say that we stick to the rule of international humanitarian law, which is very clear against targeting civilians.’
Extraordinary details about Mr Fakhrizadeh’s final moments were revealed by Iranian journalist Mohamad Ahwaze, who said he received leaked information from the country’s authorities.
The scientist was killed by 12 assassins – allegedly part of a 62-strong group of plotters – in the mountain retreat of Absard, 50 miles east of Tehran.
The team had been watching Mr Fakhrizadeh, 59, and knew he was going to be driving from Tehran to Absard – where he had a villa – on Friday.
A Hyundai Santa Fe with four passengers, four motorcycles and two snipers were waiting for
Mr Fakhrizadeh at the scene of the ambush, along with a boobytrapped Nissan pick-up.
Half an hour before Mr Fakhrizadeh’s convoy of three bulletproof cars arrived, the electricity to the area was cut off. As the third car passed the Nissan, it exploded. The second car, containing Mr Fakhrizadeh, was then shot at by the assassins.
Mr Ahwaze said: ‘The leader of the assassination team took Mr Fakhrizadeh out of his car and shot him and made sure he was killed.’ The hit squad apparently sustained no losses.