A comment someone wrote at the New York Times: "Assassinating someone who is masterminding a probable nuclear attack, or even making it infinitely more possible, on a civilian population, is an act of moral necessity. I applaud whoever did this."

New York Times

Iran’s top nuclear scientist was shot and killed in an ambush as he was traveling in a vehicle in northern Iran, state media reported. Iranian officials called it an act of terror and vowed to take revenge.

Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, 59, was a shadowy figure. According to U.S. intelligence assessments and Iranian nuclear documents stolen by Israel, he was the force behind Iran’s nuclear weapons program and continued to work after the main part of the effort was quietly disbanded in the early 2000s.

Three intelligence officials said that Israel was behind the attack on Mr. Fakhrizadeh, who had long been the No. 1 target of the Mossad, Israel’s intelligence service. The White House and the C.I.A. declined to comment. Here’s the latest.

The killing could complicate President-elect Joe Biden’s pledge to revive the 2015 nuclear deal.