Fears of an Iranian reprisal for the killing of nuclear chief prompt Israel to warn its own scientists & reactor workers

Israeli nuclear scientists and former staff at its southern Dimona reactor have been warned they may be targeted by Iran after its top nuclear scientist was assassinated last week in what Tehran claims was an Israeli attack.

At least one former Dimona scientist has been told by Israeli security officials that Iran is monitoring his internet activity, and that he should avoid walking along particular routes regularly, while remaining vigilant for unexpected packages, according to reports by Israel’s Kan broadcaster. 

According to Israeli ex-counter-terrorism chief Nitzan Nuriel, the likelihood of Tehran authoring attacks on Israeli officials overseas, as has happened before, is low, but he said people “need to be cautious.” 

The warnings for Israeli nuclear officials come after its counterterrorism center yesterday cautioned its citizens that they needed to be vigilant for potential attacks, particularly in Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Georgia, the Kurdish region of Iraq, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, in the wake of the murder of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.

READ MORE: Israeli weapon used in killing of top Iranian nuclear scientist – Iran’s state media

This week, Iranian state media reiterated that Israel was behind Fakhrizadeh’s killing, claiming that the remains of the weapon used showed “the logo and specifications of the Israeli military industry.” 

Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif also linked Israel to the killing, which he said was an act of “cowardice” akin to “desperate warmongering”, while President Hassan Rouhani blamed “mercenaries of the usurping Zionist regime” for Fakhrizadeh’s assassination.

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