Menhan Katz Claims Israeli Air Strikes Killed the Head of Iran's IRGC Intelligence

Head of IRGC Intelligence Majid Khademi. (Wikimedia Commons/khamenei.ir)

JAKARTA - The Israeli Minister of Defense claims his country is behind the attack that killed the head of the Iranian elite intelligence unit, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Iranian media quoted the IRGC as saying that the head of the intelligence organization of the corps was killed on Monday in a "terrorist attack by the American-Zionist enemy (Israel).

Brigadier General Majid Khademi, who was the latest key figure to be killed in the US-Israeli air raids, took over the post in 2025 after Israeli airstrikes killed his predecessor, Al Arabiya reported (6/4).

He spent decades in intelligence and counter-espionage roles while working his way up the Iranian security services.

Prior to his appointment, Brigadier General Khademi led the Revolutionary Guard Intelligence Protection Organization, which is tasked with internal surveillance and counter-intelligence, and held senior roles in Iran's defense ministry.

The IRGC's intelligence wing is one of Iran's most powerful security services, with a central role in domestic surveillance to counter foreign influence, and often operates in parallel with the civilian intelligence ministry.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said his country's military was behind the attack, saying it was a response to Iranian attacks on civilian areas in Israel.

Katz called Khademi "one of the direct perpetrators of this war crime and one of the three highest officials in the organization," and said of the Iranian leaders: "We will continue to hunt them down one by one."

Regional tensions have escalated since the US and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran on February 28, which has killed more than 1,340 people to date, including then Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The Mullah's country retaliated with drone strikes and missiles targeting Israel, as well as Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries hosting US military assets.

In addition, Iran also restricts the movement of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that is one of the veins of global oil and gas transportation.