TEHRAN, June 24— Iranian media on Tuesday confirmed the death of senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officer and top nuclear scientist Mohammad Reza Sedighi Saber in an Israeli airstrike on northern Tehran, just hours before a ceasefire between Iran and Israel came into effect.
The strike, part of a final wave of Israeli operations before the US-brokered truce, also targeted roads near Iran’s Fordow nuclear enrichment facility and hit Tehran’s Evin prison, notorious for detaining political prisoners.
Saber’s killing marks a major escalation in the 12-day conflict between the two arch-rivals, which saw sustained exchanges of missile fire, cyberattacks, and air raids.
Iran responded to Israeli attacks with missile strikes on Israeli cities and a US military base in Qatar. While the ceasefire, mediated by US President Donald Trump, is now officially in place, regional tensions remain dangerously high.
There has been no official Israeli statement confirming the strike on Tehran, but sources in Iranian state media described it as a deliberate and high-precision attack aimed at crippling Iran’s nuclear leadership.
The truce, although fragile, was welcomed by several global powers, including India, which urged continued diplomatic efforts to ensure long-term peace and stability in the region.
