Israeli fighter jets struck an underground command center in Iran early Friday, eliminating Brig. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Air and Area Force, in addition to numerous of his leading leaders. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) validated the strike, explaining the operation as a preemptive step versus an impending attack being intended on Israel.
According to the IDF, intelligence had actually exposed that senior IRGC flying force management had actually collected at the website to collaborate an attack on Israel. The strike removed not just Hajizadeh however likewise the leaders of the IRGC’s drone and air defense systems. Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that “the majority of the management” of the IRGC flying force was eliminated in the attack.
The IRGC Air and Area Force has actually been accountable for a series of rocket and drone attacks versus Israel, consisting of significant strikes in October and April of in 2015. Israeli authorities likewise credit to these leaders the 2019 drone attack on Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities.
Hajizadeh, a crucial designer of Iran’s rocket and UAV programs, had actually consistently revealed assistance for Israel’s damage. His death, according to the IDF, eliminates a main figure in Iran’s military preparation versus Israel.
In action, the IRGC provided a declaration promising retaliation, calling the strike a “criminal and terrorist” act. It implicated both Israel and the United States of managing the attack and cautioned of “serious and regretful vengeance.”
The Israeli armed force has actually not discussed whether additional operations are prepared, however Friday’s strike marks among the most substantial blows to Iran’s military management in years.