The nuclear scientists were killed using a special weapon whose details were barred from publication, Channel 12 says.

The 10th nuclear scientist was killed shortly after the other nine, as part of the overnight Thursday-Friday Israeli operation, which included strikes on Iran’s ballistic missile program and the Natanz nuclear site, along with the elimination of top members of the Islamic Republic’s military leadership, the network says.

The nuclear scientists were all killed while they were sleeping in their beds, with Israel deciding to carry out the assassinations simultaneously so that there wouldn’t be time to tip off those being targeted.

The scientists apparently believed they were safe from such targeting in their homes, a senior Israeli official tells Channel 12, noting that previously assassinated nuclear scientists were killed while heading to their cars after work.

Israel had been tracking Iranian nuclear scientists for years and the ten killed last week were marked for assassination in November of last year, Channel 12 says.

Just when I feel like dystopian news can’t really disturb me anymore…

Leaving this totally unrelated article about Palantir and Israel here for absolutely no reason at all…

How Israel Uses AI in Gaza—And What It Might Mean for the Future of Warfare:

A program known as “The Gospel” generates suggestions for buildings and structures militants may be operating in. “Lavender” is programmed to identify suspected members of Hamas and other armed groups for assassination, from commanders all the way down to foot soldiers. “Where’s Daddy?” reportedly follows their movements by tracking their phones in order to target them—often to their homes, where their presence is regarded as confirmation of their identity. The air strike that follows might kill everyone in the target’s family, if not everyone in the apartment building.

Abraham, whose report relies on conversations with six Israeli intelligence officers with first-hand experience in Gaza operations after Oct. 7, quoted targeting officers as saying they found themselves deferring to the Lavender program, despite knowing that it produces incorrect targeting suggestions in roughly 10% of cases.

    • Deestan@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      It got more legal a few years ago, I think. Not explicitly “made legal”, but the legal foundations have been eroded. I.e. if you can expect to get away with something it is legal in a very real sense.

      It’s always been practically legal for empires like the US, Russia, China to commit any atrocities in weak countries, More and more countries are seeing how much they can get away with.

      Netanyahu tested the limits over and over and saw there were really quite few legal limits. With Gaza, he saw the limits didn’t actually exist at all.

    • 52fighters@lemmy.sdf.org
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      1 month ago

      Civilian nuclear scientists working in enrichment are not protected by the Geneva convention. Technically it is legal to kill them when engaged in warfare.

      • ctrl_alt_esc@lemmy.ml
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        1 month ago

        Has Israel officially declared war on Iran? Apart from that, why aren’t they protected by the Geneva convention?

        • 52fighters@lemmy.sdf.org
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          1 month ago

          An official declaration of war is not required. These nuclear scientists are not protected by the Geneva convention because Iranian nuclear infrastructure, including persons, are military targets. The purpose is to destroy Iran’s nuclear capacity and that’s a purposeful military objective.

          • ctrl_alt_esc@lemmy.ml
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            1 month ago

            That sounds like total bullshit, according to that logic anything could be declared a military target and therefore nothing would fall under the Geneva convention. I think you’re talking out of your ass.