10 things you need to know today: November 28, 2020

Iran blames Israel for killing top nuclear scientist, U.S. surpasses 13 million coronavirus cases, and more

Iranian flag over Tehran.
(Image credit: AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

1. Iran blames Israel for killing top nuclear scientist

Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a nuclear scientist who U.S. and Israeli intelligence officials suspect was leading Iran's nuclear weapons program, was shot and killed Friday while traveling in a vehicle east of Tehran, Iranian state media said. He was apparently taken to the hospital for treatment, but doctors were unable to save him. Fakhrizadeh has long been a top target of the Israeli intelligence service Mossad, and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani blamed Israel, warning Tehran would respond "in due time." Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said there will be "definitive punishment of the perpetrators," though he did not specify who that was. Protesters burned Israeli and American flags at a demonstration in Tehran on Saturday. Israel put its embassies around the world on high alert. Israeli officials have not commented on the incident, but U.S. officials said Israel was behind the attack; it's unclear how much the U.S. knew about in advance.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Explore More
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.