Israel has confirmed the deaths of senior IRGC and Basij intelligence leaders during a massive wave of airstrikes targeting Iranian military infrastructure and propaganda networks in Tehran.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Friday that a series of targeted airstrikes in Tehran successfully eliminated several high-ranking Iranian officials, including Esmail Ahmadi, the intelligence chief of the IRGC’s Basij militia, and Ali Mohammad Naini, the IRGC’s primary spokesperson and “main propagandist.” These operations, which also claimed the life of Intelligence Ministry commander Mehdi Rastami Sh’mastan, were part of a broader offensive that struck over 130 infrastructure sites, including ballistic missile facilities and weapons production plants across central and western Iran.
The IDF justified the elimination of Naini by stating, “In his role, Naini disseminated the regime’s terrorist propaganda to its proxies across the Middle East in order to influence and advance terror attacks against the State of Israel from the different fronts,” further noting that his death follows dozens of other senior-level liquidations. As the conflict intensifies, the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported that the three-week campaign has resulted in at least 3,186 fatalities, including over 1,300 civilians, while additional strikes continue to target military and economic hubs like Bandar-e Lengeh and Tabriz.