[21] On 29 November 2020, the head of the Coronavirus Battle Headquarters of Tehran paid tribute to Fakhrizadeh as a prominent scientist and distinguished scholar in research, technology and the health sector.

[27] A 2007 UN Security Council resolution identified Fakhrizadeh as a senior scientist in the Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics and the former head of the Physics Research Center (PHRC) at Lavizan-Shian.

"[30] Transliterated Sazman-e Pazhohesh va Noavarihaye Defaee, SPND was founded in February 2011 and headquartered within Iran's Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics.

[33] An internal 2007 Iranian document leaked to The Sunday Times identified Fakhrizadeh as the chairman of the Field for the Expansion of Deployment of Advanced Technology (FEDAT), the cover name for the organization running Iran's nuclear weapons programme.

The document, entitled Outlook for Special Neutron-Related Activities over the Next Four Years, lays out a four-year plan to develop a uranium deuteride neutron initiator.

[44] According to The New York Times, Fakhrizadeh was described in classified portions of American intelligence reports as deeply involved in an effort to design a nuclear warhead for Iran.

[43][53] The Israeli government's foreign intelligence agency, Mossad, since 2007 has assassinated five Iranian scientists and wounded an additional one, using a variety of methods, including poisoning, remotely-detonated bombs, and motorcyclists shooting at the car of the targets.

Israel had been seeking ways to assassinate Fakhrizadeh for years, and the effort resumed when U.S. President Trump in May 2018 abrogated the Iran nuclear deal.

[69] Later, a contradictory account emerged, when the Fars News Agency reported that no gunmen were present, and that only a remote-controlled machine gun mounted on a Nissan was used in the attack.

[62] IRGC Deputy Commander-In-Chief Ali Fadavi said that the weapon was equipped with a camera and utilized artificial intelligence and facial recognition to target Fakhrizadeh.

Noel Sharkey, a professor and member of the Campaign Against Killer Robots, expressed concern over the possible use of AI in the assassination, noting that it could have "unimaginable consequences" and cause a "downhill roll that would entirely disrupt global security".

[77] A U.S. based research group has questioned the use of either AI or a robot gun analysis presented in both the Iranian account, and the New York Times reporting on the operation and assassination.

The group had Fakhrizadeh under intense surveillance for eight months, and after his routine had been learned, the decision was made to kill him on the road leading east out of Tehran to Absard, where he had a villa to which he travelled on Fridays.

According to the report, Fakhrizadeh's convoy was watched from a distance by a team of Israeli agents who activated the gun when his car passed the designated spot.

The automated machine gun, which was mounted on the back of a Nissan pickup truck parked on the side of the road, opened fire, killing Fakhrizadeh.

[55] In September 2021, The New York Times published an in-depth report of the assassination, claiming it was based on interviews with Israeli, Iranian, and American intelligence officials.

As per the report, the gun was put in place by Iranians working for the Mossad, at a junction on the main road to Absard, on a truck which also had a camera and a bomb so that it could be destroyed after the operation.

Artificial intelligence was used to compensate for the slight time delay the operators had to deal with thousands of miles away, as well as the speed of Fakhrizadeh's vehicle, and the recoil of the gun that could possibly change the trajectory.

When the convoy slowed for a speed bump in front of the truck, the Mossad team identified Fakhrizadeh and opened fire on his car, causing it to swerve and stop.

[86] The Iranian armed forces subsequently denied that the person in question had been a soldier, claiming that he had been a trainee who was dismissed due to "moral issues and addiction" before being officially inducted, and thus as a civilian, it had been the Intelligence Ministry's job to monitor him.

[66] Hossein Salami, the chief commander of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), called for revenge and punishment for the perpetrators of the assassination.

[101] Although the United States did not make an official statement on the killing, President Donald Trump retweeted Israeli journalist Yossi Melman's account of the incident, which called it a "major psychological and professional blow for Iran".

[94] Similarly, Michael P. Mulroy, the Pentagon's former top Middle East policy official, called the assassination "a setback to Iran's nuclear program".

Ravanchi reiterated that "the terror attack was aimed at disrupting scientific and technological development in Iran" while its people struggle under sanctions, COVID-19 and a plunging economy.

Former CIA official and security analyst Bruce Riedel likewise attributed the attack to Israeli intelligence and said that Israel was showing extraordinary and unprecedented levels of ability in striking at key individuals in enemy territory.

Moreover, unlike Soleimani's assassination, nobody took responsibility in Fakhrizadeh's case, therefore Iran does not have to react quickly, which means they will probably wait until the end of Trump's tenure to retaliate.

[112] Hossein Dehghan, the former minister of defense of Iran, who has been sanctioned by US Department of Treasury since November 2019, warned against any American military escalation in Trump's final weeks in office.

Herb Keinon, a contributing editor for The Jerusalem Post asked "What would Iran stand to gain by turning a cold shoulder to Biden, especially since this did not take place under his watch?

[16][131] Former head of Israeli Defence Force intelligence Amos Yadlin claimed that "With the window of time left for Trump, such a move could lead Iran to a violent response, which would provide a pretext for a US-led attack on Iranian nuclear facilities.

Police spokesman Mahdi Hajian has confirmed that the Islamic Republic is preparing a defence list for the issuance of an Interpol red notice against the killers of Fakhrizadeh.