Tel Aviv, June 17 (IANS) Israel on Tuesday announced the destruction of several surface-to-surface missiles and surface-to-air missile launchers of the Iranian regime as the hostilities between both nations escalated.
“Dozens of infrastructure for storing and launching surface-to-surface missiles and surface-to-air missile launchers of the Iranian regime were destroyed. Last night, Air Force fighter jets completed several waves of attacks against dozens of Iranian regime military targets in western Iran. As part of the waves of attacks, the Air Force attacked dozens of infrastructures for storing and launching surface-to-surface missiles, UAV storage sites, and surface-to-air missile launchers in western Iran,” said the Israel Defence Force (IDF) in a post on X.
The IDF also claimed that the Israeli Air Force on Monday conducted a precise strike based on intelligence targeting a communication centre that was being used for military purposes by the Iranian Armed Forces.
“The building was used by the Iranian Armed Forces under the guise of civilian activity, covering up the military use of the centre’s infrastructure and assets. Prior to the strike, the IDF provided an effective advanced warning to the civilian population, including phone calls, to mitigate harm to civilians as far as feasible,” it stated.
The IDF further announced that four high-ranking Iranian intelligence officials, including the chief of the Intelligence Organisation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), were killed in a precision airstrike carried out by Israeli fighter jets in Tehran.
According to the Israeli military, the strike was executed on Sunday night, targeting a building in the Iranian capital where key intelligence personnel were assembled.
“Yesterday, Air Force fighter jets attacked, with precise intelligence guidance from the Intelligence Division in the Tehran area, a building where several senior officials in the Iranian regime’s intelligence organisations were staying,” the IDF said in a post on X.
Among those killed were Mohammad Khatami, head of the IRGC Intelligence Organisation since 2022, and his deputy Mohammad Hassan Mahkaghi.
The IDF alleged that Khatami was responsible for surveillance, suppression of dissent, and orchestrating terror operations abroad. His deputy, Mahkaghi, previously headed the Strategic Intelligence Department and was described by Israel as a central figure in Iran’s hostile intelligence efforts targeting Israel and regional actors.
The strike also eliminated Muhsin Baqri, the head of the Quds Force’s intelligence department, and his deputy Abu al-Fachel Nikoui. According to the IDF, the Quds Force officials were instrumental in coordinating with foreign militant groups, including Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and Iraq-based militias.
“Nikoui played a significant part in Iran’s efforts to entrench itself in Syria and boost Hezbollah’s strength in Lebanon,” the IDF added.
“This operation adds to the previous elimination of the head of the General Staff’s Intelligence Department last Friday, marking a serious blow to Iran’s intelligence apparatus and its capability to carry out attacks against Israel,” the Israeli military noted.
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As the Israel-Iran conflict entered its fifth day, the hostilities between the two nations continued to escalate as several missiles from Iran were fired at Israel, triggering air raid sirens in Haifa and dozens of other cities and communities across northern Israel and the occupied Golan Heights, confirmed by the Israeli military.
Meanwhile, in the latest developments, Bazan, Israel’s largest oil refinery company, announced that all of its facilities at the Haifa Port had been completely shut down due to the damage caused by an Iranian missile strike.
–IANS
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