Israel on Monday said it had achieved aerial dominance over Tehran and eliminated four of Iran's top intelligence commanders in a targeted strike, marking a dramatic escalation in the ongoing conflict between the two countries and heightening fears of a broader Middle East war.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said air force jets struck a facility in Tehran that housed senior officials from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Quds Force, killing Intelligence Organization chief Mohammed Kazemi, his deputy Hassan Mohaqiq, Quds Force Intelligence Directorate head Mohsen Bakri, and deputy Abu al-Fadl Nikouei.
"[Israeli] fighter jets, following precise IDF intelligence, struck a structure in Tehran where several senior officials from Iranian intelligence organizations were located," the IDF said. "These officials played a central role in shaping Iran's strategic assessments and planning terrorist attacks against Israel, the West, and countries in the Middle East."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking to Fox News on Sunday, stated: "Moments ago, we also got the chief intelligence officer and his deputy in Tehran."
"Our brave pilots are over the skies of Tehran, and we're targeting military sites, nuclear sites," Netanyahu said.
Kazemi had led the IRGC's intelligence branch since 2022 and was responsible for counterintelligence and internal suppression of dissent, according to Israeli officials. Mohaqiq, previously the Strategic Intelligence Department chair, and the Quds Force officers were described by the IDF as critical actors in Iran's operations across Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen.
The IDF said its recent offensive has destroyed one-third of Iran's missile launchers since last Thursday. On Sunday night alone, Israeli jets struck more than 20 surface-to-surface missiles just minutes before they were to be launched, IDF spokesperson Brigadier General Effie Defrin said.
"In one of the strikes, after a missile launch cell was identified in real-time attempting to launch surface-to-surface missiles toward the State of Israel, the IAF eliminated the launch cell and destroyed the missiles," Defrin said.
Israel's air campaign included several waves of strikes overnight, hitting approximately 100 military sites in Isfahan, central Iran.
Iran, in turn, launched another barrage of missiles into Israel early Monday, triggering air raid sirens nationwide. According to Israeli emergency services, at least eight people were killed and dozens more injured. Explosions rocked Tel Aviv as the country's defense systems intercepted incoming missiles before dawn.
