Israel Killed at Least 14 Scientists in Attack on Iran's Nuclear Know-How

The Killings Will Make It 'Almost' Impossible for Iran to Build Weapons

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PARIS: Israel's tally of the war damage it wrought on Iran includes the targeted killings of at least 14 scientists, an unprecedented attack on the brains behind Iran's nuclear programme that outside experts say can only set it back, not stop it.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Israel's ambassador to France said the killings will make it "almost" impossible for Iran to build weapons from whatever nuclear infrastructure and material may have survived nearly two weeks of Israeli airstrikes and massive bunker-busting bombs dropped by US stealth bombers.

"The fact that the whole group disappeared is basically throwing back the programme by a number of years, by quite a number of years," Ambassador Joshua Zarka said.

But nuclear analysts say Iran has other scientists who can take their place.

European governments say that military force alone cannot eradicate Iran's nuclear know-how, which is why they want a negotiated solution to put concerns about the Iranian programme to rest.