US-Israeli strike kills IRGC intelligence chief Major General Majid Khademi in Tehran. Israel vows to target Iran’s leadership “one by one,” escalating tensions and deepening the high-stakes conflict.
In a major escalation of the ongoing conflict, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Monday confirmed the death of its intelligence chief, Major General Majid Khademi, in a US-Israeli airstrike carried out at dawn.
IRGC confirms Khademi’s death
The IRGC described Khademi as one of its most powerful intelligence figures and said he was killed in what it termed a coordinated attack by Washington and Tel Aviv.
"Major General Majid Khademi, the powerful and educated head of the Intelligence Organisation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was martyred in the criminal terrorist attack by the American-Zionist enemy... at dawn today," the Guards said in a post on their Telegram channel.
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A separate statement carried by Iran’s Tasnim news agency also confirmed that the strike took place early Monday, though officials did not disclose the exact location of the attack.
Khademi had served as head of both the Intelligence Protection Organization of the IRGC and its Intelligence Organisation—two of the most critical arms of Iran’s internal and external security apparatus.
Israel, claims responsibility, vows more strikes
Israel quickly confirmed its role in the operation, with Defence Minister Israel Katz issuing a stark warning to Iran’s leadership.
“Iran’s leaders live with a sense of persecution. We will continue to hunt them down one by one,” Katz said after being briefed on the strike.
Katz said he was updated during a high-level security assessment with Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, underscoring the significance of the operation.
Part of a broader campaign targeting Iran’s leadership
Khademi’s killing marks the latest in a string of high-profile assassinations of Iranian officials since hostilities sharply escalated earlier this year.
Just last month, Israel reportedly eliminated senior figures including Ali Larijani—widely seen as one of the most powerful figures in Iran’s leadership structure—and intelligence minister Esmail Khatib within a span of two days.
Since the launch of the US-Iran offensive on February 28, several top Iranian military leaders have been killed, including IRGC chief Mohammad Pakpour, Basij force chief Gholamreza Soleimani, and Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh.
Tensions spiral as leadership becomes direct target
The conflict has increasingly shifted toward targeting the upper echelons of Iran’s political and military hierarchy.
The United States and Israel have also openly vowed to target Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei—the son of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the initial phase of the conflict.
