JERUSALEM, June 14 (AFP): The Israeli military said on Saturday its air strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities the previous day resulted in the deaths of nine leading Iranian nuclear scientists.
"During the Israeli air force strikes at the onset of Operation Rising Lion, nine senior scientists and experts, who advanced the Iranian regime's nuclear weapons programme, were eliminated," the military said in a statement, listing the names of those killed.
"Their elimination represents a significant blow to the Iranian regime's ability to acquire weapons of mass destruction."
The military said the strikes were carried out on the basis of "precise intelligence gathered by the intelligence directorate".
Israel army says struck
Iran 'defence arrays'
The Israeli military said Saturday its air force targeted Iran's air defences with a wave of strikes in the Tehran area overnight.
"Overnight, the IAF struck dozens of targets, including surface-to-air missile infrastructure, as part of the effort to damage the Iranian regime's aerial defence capabilities in the area of Tehran," the military said in a statement.
"For the first time since the beginning of the war, over 1,500 kms from Israeli territory, the IAF (Israeli military) struck defence arrays in the area of Tehran."
Two Iran generals
killed in Israel strikes
Two senior Iranian generals have been killed in Israeli strikes, state television reported Saturday, as Israel kept up its assault on Iran's military and nuclear capabilities.
General Gholamreza Mehrabi, deputy head of intelligence of the armed forces general staff, and General Mehdi Rabbani, deputy head of operations, "were martyred", the broadcaster said.
Iran airspace closed
'until further notice'
Iran's civil aviation authority has declared the country's airspace closed "until further notice," state media reported Saturday, as Israel and Iran continued to trade fire for a second day.
