NEW DELHI: In a dramatic escalation of hostilities, two senior commanders of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard Major General Mohammad Kazemi, the head of its intelligence wing, and his second-in-command, General Hassan Mohaghegh have been eliminated in a direct Israeli strike on Tehran, as disclosed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a televised interview with Fox News. “Just moments ago, we successfully targeted their intelligence chief and his deputy in Tehran,” Netanyahu said.
The deaths were officially acknowledged by Iran’s state-run news outlet, which quoted a statement from the Revolutionary Guard announcing the martyrdom of three senior intelligence figures: Kazemi, Mohaghegh, and General Mohsen Bagheri.
The targeted killings are part of a broader and intense Israeli aerial campaign, named Operation Rising Lion, which was launched to preempt perceived threats. Since the onset of the operation on Friday, Israel has pounded multiple sites across Tehran, claiming to have neutralized 14 scientists associated with Iran’s nuclear development program.
The Israeli military, through an official release, provided names of nine key specialists who were reportedly killed in these operations. Among them were: Abd al-Hamid Minoushehr (reactor physics), Ahmad Reza Zolfaghari Daryani (nuclear engineering), Akbar Motalebi Zade (chemical engineering), Ali Bahuei Katirimi (mechanical engineering), Amir Hassan Fakhahi (physics), Fereydoun Abbasi (nuclear engineering), Mansour Asgari (physics), Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi (physics), and Said Barji (materials science).
Sunday saw a significant exchange of cross-border attacks between the two rivals. As the violence surged, both governments issued public alerts urging civilians to vacate high-risk areas and avoid strategic locations. The Israeli Defence Forces stated their immediate objective is the systematic dismantling of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and long-range missile capability.
Amid the ongoing strikes, Netanyahu visited the southern city of Bat Yam, recently struck by Iranian missiles, where he denounced Iran’s attacks that killed six civilians. “Tehran will face severe consequences for these brutal acts against innocent people, especially women and children,” he declared.
Iran, in retaliation, broadcast a stern advisory to Israeli residents via state television, cautioning them against approaching sensitive zones. This came as Tehran unleashed a fresh barrage of missile attacks targeting Israeli territory, further deepening the cycle of retaliation.
