by Worthy News Jerusalem Bureau Staff
(Worthy News) – The Israeli military announced Monday that it has achieved air superiority over Tehran, following a series of precision airstrikes that killed four of Iran’s top intelligence officials and crippled much of the regime’s missile-launching capability. The strikes are part of Operation Rising Lion, Israel’s large-scale campaign launched last Thursday in response to Iran’s escalating aggression.
According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), its fighter jets—operating with what officials described as “effective air superiority”—targeted a building in Tehran where several senior Iranian intelligence figures were gathered. Among those killed were Mohammad Kazemi, head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) Intelligence Organization; his deputy, Mohammad Hassan Mohaqiq; Mohsen Bakri, head of the Quds Force Intelligence Directorate; and his deputy, Abu al-Fadl Nikouei.
“These officials played a central role in shaping Iran’s strategic assessments and planning terrorist attacks against Israel, the West, and other nations in the Middle East,” the IDF said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, visiting the Tel Nof air base, declared, “The Israeli Air Force rules the skies over Tehran. We are striking regime targets, in contrast to the criminal Iranian regime which targets civilians.”
IDF spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin detailed the scope of Israel’s operations: more than 120 of Iran’s surface-to-surface missile launchers—about one-third of the regime’s arsenal—have been destroyed since the campaign began. On Sunday night alone, Israeli jets struck over 20 missiles minutes before they could be launched at Israeli cities, further diminishing the scale of Iran’s retaliatory attacks.
Iran, meanwhile, fired another wave of missiles at Israel early Monday. Explosions rocked Tel Aviv as air defenses intercepted incoming threats, but at least eight people were killed and dozens wounded in the strikes, according to emergency services.
The elimination of Iran’s top intelligence figures marks one of the most significant blows to Tehran’s military leadership in recent history. Kazemi, who took the helm of the IRGC’s intelligence wing in 2022, was responsible for counterintelligence, espionage, and the suppression of internal dissent. His deputy, Mohaqiq, previously chaired Iran’s Strategic Intelligence Department and was instrumental in orchestrating operations against Israel and its allies. Bakri and Nikouei were central to supporting Iran’s regional proxies, including Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and militias in Iraq.
“This marks a significant blow to the Iranian regime’s intelligence apparatus and its ability to carry out terrorist attacks against the State of Israel,” the IDF said.
As the conflict enters its fifth day, Israel’s military continues to target Iran’s missile infrastructure and leadership, while Iranian forces scramble to reorganize their battered defenses.
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