IRGC Intel Chief Assassinated, Netanyahu Confirms

In a major escalation of Israel’s ongoing Operation "Rising Lion," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed Sunday night that Brig. Gen. Mohammad Kazemi, head of intelligence for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was eliminated in an Israeli airstrike over Tehran.

Speaking in an interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier, Netanyahu disclosed that Israel’s pilots were actively flying over Tehran as the operation continued. “We attacked their top command,” he said. “Moments ago, we also got the chief intelligence officer and his deputy in Tehran, because we’re now over the skies of Tehran.”

Netanyahu emphasized that Israel’s strikes are targeting military, nuclear, and command sites directly involved in Iran’s growing aggression and its pursuit of nuclear weapons. The Iranian regime’s recent ballistic missile attacks on Israeli cities have made civilian population centers their primary targets, further justifying Israel’s expansive military response.

The prime minister made clear that Israel’s decision to launch Operation Rising Lion was driven by urgent intelligence indicating that Iran had enriched enough uranium for nine nuclear bombs. “All they had to do was weaponize them. We stopped that by attacking their nuclear scientists,” Netanyahu stated.

Drawing a chilling historical comparison, Netanyahu added, “We attacked their chief nuclear scientist. It’s like Hitler’s nuclear scientist would you leave them? Of course not.”

He also revealed that Iran had formulated plans to transfer a nuclear weapon to its Houthi proxy in Yemen, a move he described as “nuclear terrorism on a global scale” that threatens not only Israel but the entire international community.

When asked whether regime change was one of Israel’s goals in this operation, Netanyahu responded that it could be an outcome of growing internal opposition within Iran. “Eighty percent of the people would throw these theological thugs out,” he said, referencing the widespread domestic dissatisfaction with the Iranian regime. “They murder them, they oppress them for 46 years they’ve yearned for freedom.”

Reflecting on the long-standing historic ties between the Jewish and Persian peoples, Netanyahu expressed hope for a future renewal of friendship. “The Persian people and the Jewish people have had an ancient friendship that goes back to the times of Cyrus the Great; that could happen again,” he said. However, he emphasized that the decision to rise up rests solely with the Iranian people.

Operation Rising Lion began early Friday with more than 200 Israeli Air Force jets conducting simultaneous preemptive strikes on dozens of Iranian military, nuclear, and missile sites. The IDF has stated that these operations are based on “high-quality intelligence” and are being conducted in response to Iran’s sustained aggression against Israel.

Netanyahu affirmed that the campaign will continue for as long as necessary “We will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat. We are striking at the very heart of Iran’s nuclear and military programs to stop the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival.”

As the operation presses forward, Israel remains firmly committed to neutralizing the existential threat posed by the Iranian regime while sending a clear message that its security is non-negotiable.

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