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On Sunday, the Iranian newspaper Kayhan suggested Iran attack Haifa in order to destroy the facility and cause “heavy casualties” in retaliation.assassination of Iran’s leading nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.(Also read:Killed Nuclear Scientist, Iran Urged to Attack Israel’s Haifa)
“We condemn any threat to Israel and reaffirm our support for Israel’s right to defend itself,” a spokesman for the US State Department was quoted as saying. Al Arabiya, Wednesday (2/12/2020).
Fakhrizadeh was killed in a military-style ambush on Friday near Tehran. According to the Iranian Ministry of Defense he died of wounds sustained during a shootout between his bodyguards and “armed terrorists.”
Fakhrizadeh, who is called the “father of the Iranian nuclear bomb”, founded the Islamic Republic’s military nuclear program in the early 2000s.(Also read:Get to know Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, ‘Father of Iran’s Nuclear Bombs’ Killed)
Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) chief Hossein Salami accused Israel of “orchestrating and directing” the assassination of Fakhrizadeh and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif claiming there are “serious indications of Israel’s role.”
Iranian media reported on Monday that the weapons used in the killings were made in Israel.
Iran has previously accused Israel and the US of masterminding the killing of Iranian nuclear scientists Majid Shahriari and Mostafa Ahmadi-Roshan, both of whom were killed in car bombs in Tehran in 2010 and 2012.
Fakhrizadeh’s murder marks the second assassination of a prominent Iranian figure this year. In January, the US ordered a drone strike that killed Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani.
A former IRGC chief said at the time that “revenge against America” would include targeting Haifa and Israeli military centers.
Although Haifa may be Israel’s third largest city, in the eyes of the Iranian regime, it is a prime target because of its economic significance and proximity to Lebanon, which is home to Hezbollah’s Iranian representative, experts say.(Also read:This is the reason why Iran always threatens Israel’s Haifa)
“Tehran believes Haifa is Israel’s most critical business center,” said Saeed Ghasseminejad, a senior Iran adviser at the Washington Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) think tank.
Haifa, which is located in northern Israel, is closer to Lebanon and therefore seen as more vulnerable to Iran and Hezbollah attacks than major cities in central or southern Israel, according to former Israeli Defense Forces Colonel Miri Eisin.
Haifa’s proximity to Lebanon makes it more practical for Iran or Hezbollah to carry out missile strikes against it, according to Ghasseminejad.
“We know as the distance from the target increases, Iranian-made missiles become less reliable,” Ghasseminejad said in an interview with Al Arabiya.
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