Friday Jun 13, 2025
NEWSLETTER
www.israelhayom.com
  • Home
  • News
    • Gaza War
    • US Election Coverage
    • Middle East
    • Cyber & Internet
    • Business & Finance
  • Opinions
  • Jewish World
    • Archaeology
    • Antisemitism
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Fashion
    • Culture
  • Magazine
    • Feature
    • Analysis
    • Explainer
  • In Memoriam
www.israelhayom.com
  • Home
  • News
    • Gaza War
    • US Election Coverage
    • Middle East
    • Cyber & Internet
    • Business & Finance
  • Opinions
  • Jewish World
    • Archaeology
    • Antisemitism
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Fashion
    • Culture
  • Magazine
    • Feature
    • Analysis
    • Explainer
  • In Memoriam
www.israelhayom.com
Home News World News United States

Former CIA chief calls killing of top Iranian scientist 'state-sponsored terrorism'

Former Central Intelligence Agency Director John Brennan calls the assassination of Iran's nuclear program chief Mohsen Fakhrizadeh "highly reckless."

by  i24NEWS and ILH Staff
Published on  11-29-2020 12:31
Last modified: 11-29-2020 11:32
Former CIA chief calls killing of top Iranian scientist 'state-sponsored terrorism'AP/Charles Dharapak

Former CIA Director John Brennan | File photo: AP/Charles Dharapak

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

The former head of the Central Intelligence Agency called the alleged targeting killing of an Iranian nuclear scientist on Friday a "highly reckless" act of "state-sponsored terrorism."

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter 

John Brennan, who led the US spy agency under former President Barack Obama, made the scathing comments in a series of Twitter posts following the death of scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, widely regarded as the father of Iran's modern nuclear program.

"This was a criminal act & highly reckless. It risks lethal retaliation & a new round of regional conflict," Brennan wrote in the tweet.

"Iranian leaders would be wise to wait for the return of responsible American leadership on the global stage & to resist the urge to respond against perceived culprits."

This was a criminal act & highly reckless. It risks lethal retaliation & a new round of regional conflict.
Iranian leaders would be wise to wait for the return of responsible American leadership on the global stage & to resist the urge to respond against perceived culprits. https://t.co/0uZhyBTM3S

— John O. Brennan (@JohnBrennan) November 27, 2020

While Brennan said he was not certain that a "foreign government authorized or carried out the murder of Fakhrizadeh," he insisted that "[s]uch an act state-sponsored terrorism would be a flagrant violation of international law & encourage more governments to carry out lethal attacks against foreign officials."

The New York Times later reported that an American official and two other intelligence officials confirmed Israel was behind the attack, without giving further details.

Israel maintains a policy of ambiguity regarding security matters, rarely confirming or denying government operations against enemy targets.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

Brennan also argued that there was a legal and ethical difference in the targeted killing of a foreign national and citizen of a sovereign state versus that of stateless combatants seeking to commit acts of terrorism.

"These assassinations are far different than strikes against terrorist leaders & operatives of groups like al-Qaida & Islamic State, which are not sovereign states. As illegitimate combatants under international law, they can be targeted in order to stop deadly terrorist attacks."

This article was first published by i24NEWS.

Related Posts

How does pizza predict when America goes to war?AP, Reuters

How does pizza predict when America goes to war?

by ILH Staff

The Pentagon's "pizza index" has tracked late-night delivery spikes to predict military action since the 1980s; "Bottom line for journalists...

Finance minister hampers procurement efforts, affecting critical munitionsIDF Spokesperson's Unit

Pentagon cuts F-35 order in half for 2025 budget

by Erez Linn

The Defense Department’s decision to halve the order has not been accompanied by an official explanation, and neither Lockheed Martin...

Did Musk overplay his hand? Wall Street sounds alarmReuters/Charles Platiau;REUTERS/Nathan Howard; REUTERS/Kent Nishimura;

Musk makes mea culpa over anti-Trump outbursts

by Erez Linn

The Tesla CEO says he regrets trump social media posts amid public feud over "Big Beautiful Deal." Tweets included allegations...

Menu

Analysis 

Archaeology

Blogpost

Business & Finance

Culture

Exclusive

Explainer

Environment

 

Features

Health

In Brief

Jewish World

Judea and Samaria

Lifestyle

Cyber & Internet

Sports

 

Diplomacy 

Iran & The Gulf

Gaza Strip

Politics

Shopping

Terms of use

Privacy Policy

Submissions

Contact Us

About Us

The first issue of Israel Hayom appeared on July 30, 2007. Israel Hayom was founded on the belief that the Israeli public deserves better, more balanced and more accurate journalism. Journalism that speaks, not shouts. Journalism of a different kind. And free of charge.

All rights reserved to Israel Hayom

Hosted by sPD.co.il

  • Home
  • News
    • Gaza War
    • US Election Coverage
    • Middle East
    • Cyber & Internet
    • Business & Finance
    • Sports
  • Opinions
  • Jewish World
    • Archaeology
    • Antisemitism
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Fashion
    • Culture
  • Magazine
    • Feature
    • Analysis
    • Explainer
    • Environment & Wildlife
    • Health & Wellness
  • In Memoriam
  • Subscribe to Newsletter
  • Submit your opinion
  • Terms and conditions

All rights reserved to Israel Hayom

Hosted by sPD.co.il

Newsletter

[contact-form-7 id=”508379″ html_id=”isrh_form_Newsletter_en” title=”newsletter_subscribe”]

  • Home
  • News
    • Gaza War
    • US Election Coverage
    • Middle East
    • Cyber & Internet
    • Business & Finance
    • Sports
  • Opinions
  • Jewish World
    • Archaeology
    • Antisemitism
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Fashion
    • Culture
  • Magazine
    • Feature
    • Analysis
    • Explainer
    • Environment & Wildlife
    • Health & Wellness
  • In Memoriam
  • Subscribe to Newsletter
  • Submit your opinion
  • Terms and conditions

All rights reserved to Israel Hayom

Hosted by sPD.co.il