Top Israeli Mossad Commander Ilak Ron Believed Killed in Iraq

According to Iranian-affiliated media in Iraq and Lebanon, a drone attack that targeted a sedan car in Erbil may have killed top Israel Mossad commander, Ilak Ron, believed to be at the top of Israel's assassination unit, known as Kidon. Yet, no official statements by Israel, Iraq, or Iran have confirmed the news so far.

Despite the lack of official reports on the identity of people injured or killed during the attack that took place in Erbil, north of Iraq, online sources have been widely circulating initial reports of the attack being an act of "revenge" by Iran, after several commanders of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were targeted by Israel in recent years, including Iran's top military figure, Qasem Soleimani who was killed in a US airstrike in Baghdad in January 2020.

Yet, several reports have referred to a strong Israeli role in the operation.

On May 22, 2022, Iran also announced the assassination of an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officer identified as Hassan Sayyad Khodaei in an armed attack on his car in Tehran. Iran then accused Israel's Mossad of direct involvement in the assassination.

Translation: "Video of the explosion that hit Erbil, to the north of Iraq".

Reports of Ilak Ron's possible assassination have been exclusively shared by a correspondent of the Lebanon-based Al Mayadeen TV, Khaled Iskef, who was one of the first to share videos of the explosion's aftermath from Wednesday to Thursday midnight.

Al Mayadeen TV is well affiliated with Iran and its close allies in the Middle East, including Hezbollah and Syria's Bashar Al Assad.

The explosion has been reported in Iraqi local media which confirmed several injured, without particularly naming victims. A statement by the Kurdistan Region Security Council has accused the Hezbollah Movement in Iraq of carrying out the attack on Erbil, without providing further details.

Iran's official Press TV reported the news of the attack saying it targeted the US consulate in Erbil. 

Moreover, online people have shared information saying that the Mossad commander killed in the drone attack was known as Ilak Ron, but that his real name was Asa Flots. 

Translation: "Ilak Ron"

Some users also went on to share a number of different photos claiming they were for Ilak Ron, or Asa Flots. Photos did not match, however.