PARIS: Israel has been linked to a range of attacks against Iran, encompassing everything from assassinations to cyberattacks. The primary targets of these operations include Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its nuclear program. Following a series of airstrikes on Saturday aimed at Iran’s military infrastructure, AFP reviews other attempts made over the years.
Revolutionary Guard
Israel has frequently been blamed for targeting high-ranking members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, often outside Iran’s borders. The latest victim was a general killed on September 27 alongside Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli strike in Beirut’s suburbs.
An Israeli airstrike on April 1, 2024, targeted Iran’s consular annex building in Damascus, reportedly killing seven Revolutionary Guards members, including two high-ranking officials, according to Tehran. These incidents are part of a long history of attacks. In December 2023, a commander was killed in Syria in an incident attributed to Israel, following the killing of a colonel in the same region a year prior.
In May 2022, Sayyad Khodaei, a member of the Quds Force responsible for external operations, was shot dead by two motorcyclists in Tehran. The New York Times reported that Israel claimed responsibility for this assassination. Additionally, General Hassan Moghadam, who oversaw armament programs, died in a November 2011 explosion at a munitions depot near Tehran, an operation blamed on both the United States and Israel.
Iran’s Nuclear Program
Israel has also been accused of carrying out targeted assassinations against several prominent Iranian physicists connected to Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. Among those targeted was nuclear physicist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, who was killed in November 2020 and later identified as a vice minister of defense. Other scientists, such as Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, involved with the Natanz nuclear site, and Majid Shahriari, founder of Iran’s nuclear society, have also been murdered over the years.
Israel has faced accusations of sabotaging Iranian nuclear facilities, particularly at the Natanz complex south of Tehran. On April 11, 2021, an explosion reportedly affected the internal electric system supplying uranium enrichment centrifuges. The New York Times noted that Israel played a role in this “strong blast.” Another “accident” occurred at Natanz in July 2020, which Iran’s atomic agency labeled as “sabotage.”
In September 2010, a cyberattack utilizing the Stuxnet virus targeted the enrichment centrifuges at Natanz, with Iran blaming both Israel and the United States. Cybersecurity experts have also pointed to Washington’s involvement.
Tehran’s Allies Not Immune
Even allies of Iran have not been safe from Israeli operations. On July 31, Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh was killed in an attack in Tehran while attending the inauguration ceremony of Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian.
Iranian Oil Targets
In March 2021, the Wall Street Journal reported that Israel had targeted at least a dozen vessels transporting Iranian petrol to Syria in 2019, often deploying underwater mines during these operations. Throughout 2021, Israel and Iran accused each other of conducting naval sabotage.
