Assassination of Iranian physicist draws condemnations from anti-Israel groups

The assassination of prominent Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh in a terrorist attack near the capital Tehran has led to the pouring of condolences and condemnations from anti-Israel resistance groups over the brutal incident.

Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem said on Friday evening that Tehran reserves the right to show harsh response to those responsible for the targeted killing of the senior scientist.

“We condemn this heinous attack and see that the response to this crime lies between the hands of concerned officials in Iran,” Sheikh Qassem said in an interview with Lebanon-based and Arabic-language al-Manar television network.

Sheikh Qassem added that Fakhrizadeh was killed by those who are “sponsored” by the United States and the Israeli regime, emphasizing that his assassination falls within the framework of acts of aggression against Iran and the region.

The senior Hezbollah then dismissed speculations about a military onslaught on Iran, noting that any war against the country will set the entire Middle East on fire.

Prominent Iranian physicist assassinated near Tehran

Prominent Iranian physicist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh is assassinated in a terrorist attack near Tehran, the Defense Ministry says.

“However, we cannot rule out the possibility of a limited attack, and Iranians are ready for such an incident. But, I do not anticipate an all-out war on the horizon,” he said.

Sheikh Qassem also warned Israel that any aggression against Lebanon would have serious consequences for the Israeli regime, underlining that Hezbollah is “fully prepared” for such a confrontation.

“Hezbollah has clinched numerous victories, one of which is our independence from the arrogant US and others. They are putting pressure on Hezbollah because the resistance movement has pulled out wins in various fields,” he said.

“Hezbollah has no worries despite all challenges it is facing. We tend to stay calm as we believe in our capabilities. Hezbollah is always ready for any confrontation and Israel knows very well that its action would have dire repercussions,” the Hezbollah deputy secretary general pointed out.

Fakhrizadeh, who headed the Iranian Defense Ministry’s Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research (known by its acronym SPND), was targeted on Friday in a multi-pronged attack involving at least one explosion and small fire by a number of assailants in Absard city of Damavand County, Tehran Province.

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Fereydoun Abbasi himself was a target of an assassination attempt some 10 years ago.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Hamas resistance movement has stated that the assassination of the senior Iranian physicist comes at the time when the US and the Tel Aviv regime are continuously threatening the Islamic Republic of Iran.

“Such moves are meant to deprive Iran and the Muslim world of possessing tools necessary for scientific progress and prowess. The Occupation (Israel) seeks to advance its expansionist policies in the region, and creation of chaos and instability would serve its interests,” Hamas said in a statement.

The Palestinian resistance movement then commiserated with the Iranian nation and government over Fakhrizadeh’s assassination, noting, “We are confident that Iran and its nation will recover from the loss through more endeavor and progress, and will break the monopoly of arrogant powers on the factors of power and scientific progress in the region.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad resistance movement also strongly condemned the sinful terrorist attack that led to the killing of eminent Iranian scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, stating that his assassination had all the hallmarks of a US-Zionist plot.

“This cowardly terrorist act was aimed at targeting the elements of renaissance and scientific progress in the Muslim world in general and the Islamic Republic of Iran in particular. The assassination of Fakhrizadeh was a desperate attempt to avenge Iran’s support for just causes of oppressed people in the world, especially the Palestinian cause. This sinful move will neither discourage Iran from maintaining its stances nor will weaken them,” the statement read.

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“This terrorist act is a clear indication of the extent of hatred that fuels the terrorism being systematically practiced by the US, Zionist regime and their allies,” the Islamic Jihad pointed out.

“We offer our condolences to the Iranian leadership, government and nation, and affirm our confidence that Iran will resolutely and strenuously work to make progress in all fields as it has a strong willpower to face challenges, overcome the unjust US sanctions and confront the malevolent Zionist-US aggression.”

“The Islamic Republic of Iran is paying the price for its support for the Palestinian cause, Palestinian people, and the fact that Palestinians are entitled to recover their rights and liberate their land and sanctities,” the Palestinian resistance movement said.

Moreover, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command (PFLP-GC) decried Fakhrizadeh’s assassination, stating that the heinous act will not undermine Iran's capabilities as terrorist Israeli authorities might have imagined.

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Separately, Iraqi Kata'ib Hezbollah anti-terror group, which is part of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMU) – better known by the Arabic word Hashd al-Sha’abi, said the assassination of the senior Iranian scientist is in line with a series of crimes that seek to target the scientific capacities of Arab and Muslim nations.

“The Zionist-Saudi-US axis has extended its criminal record, and the price of their crimes must be their annihilation. Assassination and attacks on scientists and leaders of the resistance is a black part of a fiendish and hostile conspiracy against nations supporting the anti-Israel resistance front,” it added.

Kata'ib Hezbollah noted that collaboration between Saudi Arabia, the United States and the Israeli regime over the assassination of Fakhrizadeh will make them legitimate targets for retaliation.

Additionally, Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, which is also part of the PMU, denounced the killing of the Iranian physicist as a cowardly act.

“We condemn this terrorist act and believe in the resistance of the Islamic Republic of Iran as well as its victory and authority. Iran will defeat oppressors and arrogant since it beliefs are based on the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and Imam Hussein – the third Shia Imam, which inspire martyrdom,” the deputy secretary-general and official spokesman for the movement, Nasr al-Shammari, wrote in a post published on his official Twitter page.

Furthermore, the political bureau of Yemen’s popular Houthi Ansarullah movement stated that Iranian scientist Fakhrizadeh was assassinated in a terrorist operation planned by the Axis of Evil, spearheaded by the Israeli regime, which fears the development of Iran’s scientific and defense capabilities.

Ansarullah stressed that Iran reserves the right to respond to all those who masterminded and carried out the assassination in the hopes of depriving the Muslim country of scientific expertise and keeping their own monopoly.

'Fakhrizadeh assassination another desperate attempt to disrupt Iran's development'

Iran’s UN envoy says there are serious indications that Israel was behind the assassination of Iranian physicist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.

Yemeni Foreign Minister Hisham Sharaf, for his part, denounced Fakhrizadeh’s murder.

“This heinous and terrorist criminal act was carried out by the Axis of Evil, led by the Zionist regime. It shows the depth of fear that haunts enemies of the Iranian nation. However, it will not stop Iran's progress in various fields,” he said in a message of condolences addressed to his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif.

And, the February 14 Youth Coalition — an opposition protest movement named after the date of the beginning of a popular uprising against Bahrain’s ruling Al Khalifah regime, condemned the assassination of the Iranian nuclear scientist as a cowardly act, expressing its full support for Tehran’s retaliatory measures.

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