Israel says it eliminated top Iranian intelligence officials in Tehran

Tel Aviv: Israel on Monday announced that four high-ranking Iranian intelligence officials, including the chief of the Intelligence Organisation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), were killed in a precision airstrike carried out by Israeli fighter jets in Tehran.

According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the strike was executed on Sunday night, targeting a building in the Iranian capital where key intelligence personnel were assembled.

“Yesterday, Air Force fighter jets attacked, with precise intelligence guidance from the Intelligence Division in the Tehran area, a building where several senior officials in the Iranian regime’s intelligence organisations were staying,” the IDF said in a post on X.

Among those killed were Mohammad Khatami, head of the IRGC Intelligence Organisation since 2022, and his deputy Mohammad Hassan Mahkaghi.

The IDF alleged that Khatami was responsible for surveillance, suppression of dissent, and orchestrating terror operations abroad. His deputy, Mahkaghi, previously headed the Strategic Intelligence Department and was described by Israel as a central figure in Iran’s hostile intelligence efforts targeting Israel and regional actors.

The strike also eliminated Muhsin Baqri, the head of the Quds Force’s intelligence department, and his deputy Abu al-Fachel Nikoui. According to the IDF, the Quds Force officials were instrumental in coordinating with foreign militant groups, including Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and Iraq-based militias.

“Nikoui played a significant part in Iran’s efforts to entrench itself in Syria and boost Hezbollah’s strength in Lebanon,” the IDF added.

“This operation adds to the previous elimination of the head of the General Staff’s Intelligence Department last Friday, marking a serious blow to Iran’s intelligence apparatus and its capability to carry out attacks against Israel,” the Israeli military noted.

In a briefing on Monday, IDF Spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin declared that the Israeli Air Force (IAF) had achieved “full aerial superiority” over Tehran.

He claimed that Israel had already destroyed a third of Iran’s ballistic missile launchers and was successfully disrupting large-scale Iranian offensives.

According to Defrin, Iran launched 65 ballistic missiles and dozens of drones towards Israel in two separate barrages on Sunday night and Monday morning.

Most of the projectiles were intercepted, though three impacts resulted in eight deaths. He further disclosed that the IAF intercepted 20 ballistic missiles on the ground in Iran before they could be launched.

The IDF also reported that around 50 Israeli fighter jets and drones targeted Iranian missile storage facilities and command centres where missile launches were being orchestrated.

Since the escalation began, Israel claims to have destroyed over 120 Iranian ballistic missile launchers.

Additionally, overnight strikes were carried out in Isfahan, where the IAF hit over 100 military targets, expanding its campaign to degrade Iran’s strategic capabilities.

IANS