Israel announced on Monday that it has achieved “aerial superiority” over Tehran, following airstrikes that resulted in the deaths of four high-ranking Iranian intelligence officials.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that Iranian air defenses and missile capabilities have been significantly weakened, allowing Israeli aircraft to operate with minimal opposition. The IDF claims to now control the airspace from western Iran to Tehran.
The Israeli military reported that “precise intelligence” enabled the Israeli Air Force (IAF) to target a location in Tehran housing several senior Iranian intelligence figures. The strike resulted in the deaths of Mohammad Kazemi, head of the Intelligence Organization Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC); his deputy, Mohammad Hassan Mohaqiq; Mohsen Bakri, head of the Quds Force Intelligence Directorate; and his deputy, Abu al-Fadl Nikouei, according to the IDF on Monday.
The IDF asserted that “These officials were instrumental in formulating Iran’s strategic assessments and planning terrorist attacks targeting Israel, the West, and countries in the Middle East.”
Kazemi, in his role since 2022, “was responsible for counterintelligence, espionage, and targeting opponents of the Iranian regime within Iran,” the IDF stated. “Kazemi oversaw intelligence gathering for terrorist activities and the monitoring of Iranian citizens to suppress dissent and preserve the Iranian regime.”
According to the Israeli military, Hassan Mohaqiq “previously led the Strategic Intelligence Department and played a significant role in the regime’s terrorist operations against Israel, the West, and countries in the Middle East.”
Bakri and al-Fadl Nikouei “were primarily responsible for operational and intelligence support to members of the Iran’s Axis of Terror, including Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and militias in Iraq,” and both “played a significant role in Iran’s efforts to reestablish its presence in Syria and supported Hezbollah’s military ” the IDF stated.
The IDF stated that Monday’s announcement “marks a significant blow to the Iranian regime’s intelligence apparatus and its ability to carry out terrorist attacks against the State of Israel.” This follows the IDF’s announcement last Friday that its strikes had killed the Head of the Intelligence Directorate in the Iranian Armed Forces General Staff.
IDF spokesperson, Brigadier General Effie Defrin, said Monday that the IDF has destroyed one-third of the Iranian regime’s missile launchers since the start of its large-scale preemptive strike last Thursday.
Defrin stated that the IAF destroyed over 20 surface-to-surface missiles on Sunday night before they could be launched toward Israel.
The Israeli air force carried out several waves of strikes overnight, targeting approximately 100 military locations in Isfahan, central Iran.
“In these strikes, more than 20 missiles were simultaneously struck, minutes before they were to be launched toward Israel’s home front,” 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.”
Meanwhile, Iran launched a new series of missile attacks on Israel early Monday, triggering air raid sirens nationwide. Israeli emergency services reported and dozens more injuries on the fourth day of the conflict.
The Associated Press reported that powerful explosions, likely caused by Israel’s defense systems intercepting Iranian missiles, occurred in Tel Aviv shortly before dawn. Black smoke was seen rising over the major coastal city.
The latest attacks follow a weekend of between Israel and Iran, raising concerns about a broader and more dangerous regional conflict.