ALBAWABA — Only a few days after taking over as head of Iran's Supreme Leader's military office, Israel's Defense Ministry declared on Sunday that its forces had assassinated Abolqasem Babayian.
The operation was confirmed by Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, who called it a significant military and intelligence achievement for Israel's security forces. According to a statement from Katz, Babayian was only assigned to the position last week, taking the place of a previous employee who was killed in a previous strike.
Following a high-level security assessment meeting at the Israeli Defense Ministry's fortified headquarters, the statement was made. Military Intelligence Director Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder and Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir were among the high-ranking military and intelligence officials who attended the conference, along with senior officials from the Shin Bet and Mossad secret services.
The ministry claims that an intelligence briefing verifying Babayian's death was given to Israeli officials during the meeting. After earlier Israeli assaults on top Iranian military commanders, the individual was reportedly assigned the responsibility of restructuring the military hierarchy around Iran's Supreme Leader.
According to Katz, the operation proved that Israel could access what he called extremely sensitive targets inside Iran's military and security infrastructure.
Speaking to military commanders, the defense minister urged officials to "continue pursuing them" and urged further operations against Iranian senior individuals.
Following a string of military clashes throughout the region, including attacks on Iranian military positions and high-ranking officials, the development coincides with rising tensions between Israel and Iran.
