JERUSALEM — Iran’s intelligence chief and several senior members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were killed in a precision Israeli airstrike in Tehran on Sunday, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), dealing a significant blow to Iran’s military leadership structure.
Major General Mohammed Kazemi, head of the IRGC’s Intelligence Organization, was killed alongside his deputy Hassan Mohaqiq during a high-level meeting targeted by Israeli fighter jets. The IDF confirmed that the airstrike was based on “precise intelligence” and aimed at a facility where top Iranian intelligence officials were gathered.
“These officials played a central role in shaping Iran’s strategic intelligence framework and in planning terrorist operations against Israel, Western nations, and regional partners,” the IDF said in a statement.
Kazemi, who assumed leadership of the IRGC’s intelligence operations in 2022, was central to Tehran’s counterintelligence efforts and internal security apparatus, particularly in identifying regime dissidents. Mohaqiq previously led the Strategic Intelligence Division within the Guard.
The death of Kazemi was publicly confirmed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a Sunday interview with Fox News.
“Moments ago, we got the chief intelligence officer and his deputy in Tehran,” Netanyahu said from an undisclosed location in Israel. “Our brave pilots are over the skies of Tehran, and we’re targeting military and nuclear sites.”
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard later confirmed Kazemi’s death, marking one of the most high-profile Iranian military casualties in recent history.
Also killed in the strike were Mohsen Bakri, head of intelligence for the IRGC’s elite Quds Force, and his deputy, Abu al-Fadl Nikouei. The Quds Force is the foreign operations wing of the IRGC, responsible for supporting proxy forces like Hezbollah in Lebanon and militias in Syria and Iraq.
Sunday’s strike follows a major Israeli offensive launched last week that resulted in the death of Mohammad Bagheri, head of intelligence for the Iranian armed forces general staff and the nation’s highest-ranking military officer. That attack marked the beginning of a broader Israeli campaign to dismantle Iran’s intelligence and nuclear infrastructure after the collapse of diplomatic efforts to contain Tehran’s atomic program.
According to the IDF, dozens of Iranian military commanders, intelligence operatives, and scientists have been killed since Israel began its bombing campaign on Thursday, with a particular focus on neutralizing the regime’s ability to plan and coordinate attacks beyond its borders.
“This marks a significant blow to the Iranian regime’s intelligence apparatus and its ability to carry out terrorist attacks against the State of Israel,” the IDF said, calling the operation one of the most successful targeted strikes in recent memory.
The deaths of such high-ranking officials are expected to deepen regional tensions and raise fears of further escalation between Iran and Israel. Iranian leaders have vowed to retaliate for what they describe as an unprovoked campaign of aggression, while Israel has signaled it will continue its operations until the threat posed by Iran’s expanding influence and nuclear ambitions is neutralized.
With its top military leadership increasingly under direct threat, Tehran now faces mounting pressure both domestically and internationally to respond, even as its intelligence and command capabilities have been severely weakened by Israel’s ongoing offensive.
nypost.com
