Twelve Family Members of Iranian Scientist Killed in Israeli Strike on Ancestral Home

According to Saed News, a devastating attack attributed to Israeli forces struck the ancestral residence of Iranian nuclear researcher Sadeghi Saber in Astaneh-ye Ashrafiyeh in the early hours of Tuesday, June 24, 2025. Twelve members of the extended Sadeghi family—including men, women and children—were confirmed dead, as indicated by red heart icons on a shared family photograph circulated on social media.

Local authorities described the strike as “a calculated act of terror,” whilst an official statement carried by Tabnak News Agency condemned the assault as “barbaric aggression by the Zionist regime.” Survivors recount a sudden explosion that reduced the centuries-old home to rubble, leaving neighbours and emergency teams scrambling amid scattered belongings and shattered walls.

“This was not a military target,” said Dr. Leila Farhadi, a human rights observer in Gilan province. “The victims were civilians gathered in what was purely a family dwelling.” Iranian state media have since called for international condemnation, urging the United Nations to investigate possible violations of humanitarian law.

Israel’s Defence Ministry has not publicly acknowledged responsibility, nor offered comment on civilian casualties. In Tehran, political leaders decried the incident as further evidence of “unrestrained aggression,” vowing “to pursue justice for every innocent life lost.” As families mourn in Astaneh-ye Ashrafiyeh, questions mount over the legality and strategic rationale behind targeting a non-combatant residential site.