In one of the fiercest attacks in recent months, the Israeli military confirmed today that it killed the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards‘ intelligence service, Mohammad Hatami, and three other senior officials of the corps in an airstrike yesterday Sunday in the Tehran region.

According to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), the four senior officers played a central role both in shaping security assessments in Tehran and in planning terrorist actions against Israel, the West and other countries in the region.

In addition to Khatami, those killed in the attack include his deputy chief, Mohammad Hassan Mahmachi, the head of the Quds Force intelligence department, Mohsen Bakri, and his deputy, Abu al-Fahal Nihui.

“We destroyed a third of Iranian launchers”

In statements to the media, IDF spokesman Effie Defarin said Israeli forces inflicted a serious blow to Iran’s missile attack capabilities. “The Air Force simultaneously destroyed more than 20 surface-to-surface missiles overnight before they could be launched toward the country,” Defarin noted. According to him, a total of about a third of Iran’s launch systems were destroyed.

Meanwhile, during the overnight operation, Israeli forces struck some 100 military targets in Isfahan province, including missile depots and command centers where launch teams were being prepared.

The Israeli staff calls it a key blow to Iran’s offensive capabilities at a time when tensions between the two countries have escalated dangerously.