Iran's top intelligence officers killed: Israel
What's the story
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Monday that senior officials of Iran's Ministry of Intelligence were "eliminated" in the opening strikes on Iran on Saturday. The IDF identified the two key figures killed as Sayed Yahya Hamidi and Jalal Pour Hossein. Hamidi was "Deputy Minister of Intelligence for 'Israel Affairs,' who led terrorist activities targeting Jews, Western actors, and regime opponents in Iran and abroad," while Hossein was head of the Espionage Division.
Targeted operation
IDF also struck the ministry's headquarters
The IDF said the two were targeted in the opening phase of Operation "Roaring Lion," which was based on what it called precise intelligence. The IDF said the killing of the Intelligence Ministry's leadership "dealt a severe blow to the regime's ability to advance terror attacks and to target regime opponents in Iran."
Bombs
How IDF described Intelligence Ministry
According to the IDF, the Intelligence Ministry is "the central intelligence body of the Iranian terror regime, possessing the most advanced capabilities in Iran and operating under the direct authority of the supreme leader." The ministry also "serves as the Iranian terror regime's primary tool for monitoring the activities of Iranian citizens. Ministry operatives provided intelligence that enabled the violent suppression of protests over the years," the IDF adds.
Hezbollah
Israeli military conducted strikes on Lebanon
The IDF claims that it discovered documents in Gaza during the conflict that revealed Iran's Intelligence Ministry's intentions to construct "a joint intelligence operations room of Hezbollah, Hamas, and the IRGC." On Sunday, the Israeli military conducted strikes on Lebanon, including the capital Beirut, to target militants, after Tehran-backed Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel in response to the assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Group
31 killed in Lebanon
Hezbollah later claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it fired rockets and drones "in retaliation for the pure blood of... Ayatollah Imam Sayyid Ali al-Husseini Khamenei... and in defense of Lebanon and its people, and in response to the repeated Israeli attacks." Israeli bombings on Lebanon have killed at least 31 people and injured 149, the Lebanese health ministry announced on Monday.